David Goyette has never hesitated to make big decisions to achieve his goals.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
After leaving Quebec for Hawkesbury at 13, playing in the United States at 15 and heading to Sudbury at 17, the native of Saint-Jérôme will soon be rewarded for his “years of work”, since he could be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft.
He himself describes his career as “particular”.
Goyette first moved to Hawkesbury, Ontario with her family when she was 13 years old. “It was to learn English and play in Ontario,” he says on the phone. We found a nice house by the water. »
He never regretted it. Because his primary goal was never the Quebec major junior. Goyette wanted to play in the NCAA.
“For me and my parents, it has always been school first, explains the center player. It was really important in my family. I always told myself that if it didn’t work out in hockey, I was going to have a plan B with the school. »
After a season of 94 points in 30 games in the under-15s, in the AAA, in 2018-2019, Goyette wanted “to live the experience of being in a dormitory, like in the NCAA”. So he headed to Connecticut, USA, where he joined the Selects Academy at South Kent School.
The first few months required adjustment, of course. But we have to believe that it went rather well, since he collected a total of… 153 points, including 49 goals, in 65 games that year.
Change of plan
At the time, Goyette still had in mind to play in the NCAA. He also received an offer for a scholarship to Boston University.
If the path he wanted to take had always been very clear in Goyette’s head, it became a little less clear during a visit to the University of Massachusetts…
“When I went there my parents and I sat in the coach’s office and he told my dad that if I was his son he would send me to the OHL because my game was a good match for him. that of this league. He said I was going to be able to get to the next level faster than most players playing in the NCAA. »
Difficult to do better in terms of transparency. “We thought it was nice that he told us that, but it still shook us up and changed our plans,” explains the quick striker.
So much so that he finally opted for the Ontario circuit. He was selected in the first round, 11e overall, by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2020 draft.
“I had placed my cards a bit to land at Wolves because I have family there,” he says. Speaking with the team, I thought it was a good fit. »
At the moment, my host family is my mother’s cousin. It helped me familiarize myself with the place.
David Goyette
Goyette was supposed to play his first season as a junior in 2020-2021, but the pandemic thwarted his plans. He therefore trained in a gym created from scratch in the garage of the family home.
He also played a few games for the PAL Junior Islanders of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) in Tampa, but a team complained about his OHL contract after he scored six points in four met. So he returned to Hawkesbury, where he played 10 games with the local Junior A team.
No regrets
Goyette recorded 73 points in 66 games in his first season with the Wolves this year. At mid-season, NHL Central Scouting ranked him 35e echelon among North American skaters. It must be said that the year off in the OHL “didn’t benefit him”, while the hopefuls of the QMJHL and the WHL continued to play.
Of course, for me, it took longer to find my game. But when I found her, I started playing with confidence. I moved up the rankings and it felt good.
David Goyette
In its latest list, the Centrale places David Goyette at 13e rank.
For July 7, the young man has certain expectations. He would like to hear his name among the top 20 or 25, ideally. Several members of his family and friends still in Quebec will be present at the Bell Centre.
“I just can’t wait to get to training camp to see where I stand,” he says. For sure I’m going to have the summer of my life, training every day to arrive as ready as possible. You never know if you can cause a surprise at camp. »
Whatever happens, Goyette will never regret the big decisions he’s made over the years, including opting for the OHL over the NCAA.
“Of course my journey has been special and, sometimes, after bad news, we wondered: did we make the right decision? Was that really what was good for me?
“Today I look at it and I’m really proud of what my family and I have done. It was years and years of work. I’ll be really happy when I hear my name. »