Dow, who has captained the club twice in his four years at the Stars, will return for his fifth EIHL campaign and so far, the 30-year-old has featured in 245 games for the club (207 League, 34 Challenge Cup & 4 Playoff) after joining from the University of Calgary, back in the summer of 2018.
In the last five seasons, Drydn has only broken service to the club once as the covid-hindered season of 2020-2021 allowed him to join Slovakian side, Spisska Nova Ves, where he became a Slovakian Playoff Champion.
The native of Calgary, Alberta is also a former nominee for the EIHL Second All-Star Team (2019-2020) and also led the league in scoring by a defenseman that same season, with 14 goals and last year, saw him regain his scoring form as he produced the sixth most points by a defenseman, with 41 (6G, 35A).
LEFEBVRE ON DOW
Discussing his first signing of the summer, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre said: “The big thing for me was getting players who want to be in Dundee and well Drydn is basically a Dundonian now, so getting him signed up was one of my number one things to do this off-season.
“He has been around the club now for a few years and he has proven to be very beneficial both on and off the ice.
“He was a part of that team a few years ago with (Omar) Pacha, that got to the semi-finals and he was a big reason why they got there.
“Last season was probably an off year for him, just like the rest of the club but we are confident he will do a great job for us this season and can help get us back on the right track and moving things forward.
“We also really want him to contribute to our leadership group this year as well, so it was a no brainer for me to bring him back.”
The Canadian Coach then shared his expectations of the Elite League veteran, adding: “We want to be offensively better than the team was last year and I want my defenseman up in the play, joining the rush and creating these four-man attacks.
“Drydn has a pedigree of doing that and playing on the powerplay but also, he is strong defensively as well.
“So, we want him to be a good two-way defenseman for us and we want him to be a great leader in the dressing room, and like I said, he is part of the community now and knows exactly what the Stars are all about and he will be a big reason why we are going to have success this season.”
LeFebvre continued: “The big thing for us is that we want to make the playoffs and win the playoffs, so he has had that playoff success when playing in Spisska in Slovakia a few seasons ago.
“He actually played with one of my players from France and won a championship with him there, and he spoke very highly of Drydn as well.
“So, it is key to have guys like him that have had success before, especially winning championships and what they can bring to our club.”
DRYDN ON REMAINING IN DUNDEE
Dow then shared his delight to be staying in the City of Discovery, commenting: “I am definitely excited to be back, obviously this is home now for me, so I am still very excited to be here and to get going again.”
The Canadian blueliner then explained how the very quick process of securing his return to Dundee came about with LeFebvre now leading the club.
He said: “It was pretty quick after Marc reached out, so it was nice to know that he wanted me right off the bat, which is great.
“I just really like his vision and it is clear that he is very excited about being back in Dundee and he likes the organisation here, and it is nice that he has a knowledge of the club from previous experience.
“It is very exciting to hear some of his ideas about building a deep team and I am really looking forward to seeing how he builds it and who we bring in.”
Dow then discussed the disappointment of the last campaign and his hopes for the coming season, commenting: “It is definitely difficult and you have to take it in your stride, because at the start of the year we obviously came in with very high expectations and we started off quite well actually.
“I thought we were looking pretty good off the bat and then it just started to slowly slip away and when you get in a habit of losing, it is tough to get out of that mindset.
“So, it was a difficult year all around but honestly I am looking forward to putting that in the rear-view mirror now and having a good summer of training, getting back into it and obviously having more success going forward and building on what we had in the past.”
Listen to the full interview below!
With our #6 signed up for the new season, you can join Drydn and the rest of the squad by purchasing your season ticket. Get yours HERE!
You can also purchase one of Drydn’s numerous sponsorship packages by clicking HERE!
All Images: Derek Black.
