EXCLUSIVE: Beauvillier On Chatting With Drouin Before He Joined Islanders
No one loved playing on Long Island more than Anthony Beauvillier, which made him a natural recruiter when Jonathan Drouin was deciding on his future.
EAST MEADOW, NY — When Islanders team reporter Rachel Luscher and I chatted with newcomer Jonathan Drouin on Saturday, I asked him why he signed on The Island.
“Darche had a big part of [my decision], just the phone call with him, and knowing his background with Tampa Bay was a huge step forward for me,” Drouin said. “There were a lot of factors.”
We knew before this chat that Anthony Duclair is one of Drouin’s close friends, as the two have known each other since they were seven years old, when they played hockey in Quebec.
Drouin also told us he made a few phone calls to former Islanders to get their thoughts on playing for this franchise.
“I talked to [Anthony] Beauvillier & [Derick] Brassard, a few players that I know from Quebec. They loved the Island. They loved their experience here, so they were pushing me to go here.”
After hearing that, it was time to find out from Beauviller what he said to Drouin: