SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse Crunch have announced that Gabriel Dumont has been named captain. Additionally, Andy Andreoff, Cameron Gaunce, Michael Bournival and Kevin Lynch will serve as alternate captains alternating home and away.
“We chose Dumont as captain because when we talk about identity, culture and habits, he represents all of those,” said head coach Ben Groulx. “He’s a great person and a good leader. He’s served as a captain before and is the example we look for in a player. Dumont is the best guy to show this young team the right way to be a professional on and off the ice.”
Dumont, 28, is entering his third season with the Syracuse Crunch and Tampa Bay Lightning organization.
“It’s a great honor, especially following the two years I’ve been here with Erik Condra and Luke Witkowski serving as our captains,” said Dumont. “I have big shoes to fill, but I’m excited to be selected by the coaches and the team as captain going into the Crunch’s 25th season. It’s something natural to me, I try to go out there and lead by example.”
Dumont, 5-foot-10, 197-pounds, has appeared in 40 games with the Crunch recording 10 goals and 23 assists. He skated in 30 NHL games last season with the Lightning and Ottawa Senators, recording one goal and two points to go along with six penalty minutes. The Ville Degelis, Quebec native has appeared in 87 career NHL games, posting four goals and nine points. During the 2016-17 season while playing for Tampa Bay, Dumont set career highs for games played (39), goals (two) and points (four).
Dumont has skated in 429 career AHL games over eight seasons, recording 102 goals, 236 points and 533 penalty minutes. Dumont recorded five goals and 10 points in 20 games with the Crunch during the 2016-17 season. During the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, Dumont notched five goals and 11 points, helping the Crunch reach the Calder Cup Final. Dumont was signed to a two-year contract by the Lightning on June 28, 2017.
Dumont is the 21st full-time captain in Crunch franchise history and the fourth since Syracuse affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012. He follows Erik Condra, who served last season and for the second half of the 206-17 season, Luke Witkowski, who served for the first half of the 2016-17 season before earning a full-time position with the Lightning, and Mike Angelidis, who captained the Crunch from 2012 to 2016.
