Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The fitness level needed to play men's soccer effectively at the Canada West level is off the charts.
Then there's Kayden Dugas.
"I think he's probably the most fit player in the league," said MacEwan head coach Adam Loga. "I would put money on that. He's pacey, he can go forever. It's definitely a blessing.
"At times, he does need to take a breath and slow down, which we're working on. But it's a superpower, for sure."
The 2023 Canada West All-Rookie team member will lead the Griffins into home action vs. UFV on Saturday and Trinity Western on Sunday (both 12 p.m., Edmonton Scottish, Canada West TV). Admission is free.
"It's something I take a lot of pride in," said Dugas of his fitness, honed over the years as a high-level multi-sport athlete in tennis, basketball, volleyball, track, badminton and more. "There's one thing you can control at the very least and that's being fit.
"I take a lot of pride in being fit, getting fitter and being one of the fittest guys out there, knowing if I keep running, they're not going to be able to stay with me."
Kayden Dugas makes a pass against Mount Royal during a game earlier this month. He has two assists so far on the season (Norman Bo photo).
His new role on the pitch this season demands an intense level of fitness as Dugas has been dropped out of the midfield to the fullback spot. But he's still given the green light to go forward into attacking positions, so the ability to sprint the entire sideline is paramount.
"We broke him in a little bit last year being in the forward positions in the 7-11 spots," said Loga. "Then, in League 1 (with Edmonton Scottish), and into this season, we've dropped him back a line to fullback quite a bit.
"He has the attributes, of course, but we needed to teach him the behaviours. He's flourishing. He wants to learn; he wants feedback and he's trying his best to implement it. You can see it every week he's getting closer and closer to that polished product."
When to go and when to stay patient has become Dugas' challenge each game. He unlocked with a sprint up the right side against UNBC last Sunday, which allowed him to take a cross from Ricky Yassin and tap it back to Chance Carter for the team's fourth goal of the contest. The assist helped Carter break the program record for the most points in a Canada West game.
�� RECORD ALERT
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Soccer (@GriffinsMSOC) September 16, 2024
Four-point game!
Chance Carter scores his second of the night and becomes the first player in program history to record four points in a @CanadaWest match!#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/0SXUyCUVvL
"You definitely have to be a little more patient," said Dugas of playing deeper in the formation. "You can't gamble as much because if they beat you, they can be through on goal, so learning to control that adrenaline is one of the big things.
"When I get that freedom to go forward, it's just letting go. So, finding the balance of knowing when to let go and be free and then remaining disciplined and patient (is the challenge)."
He has some great mentors from which to learn from. Mikey Ho, who played the exact position he's in now (right fullback) at a high level in Canada West for five years, is now a video coach on the Griffins.
"He's definitely shed some wisdom and helped me out," said Dugas. "He's quite an intelligent player and I've quite enjoyed learning from him and learning some of the things he does to make the game easier for himself and make the game harder for his opponents."
Then there's Kayden's dad. Martin Dugas played professionally for 12 years, including with the Edmonton Drillers of the National Professional Soccer League as well as being on Team Canada's roster for the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"He's definitely been a huge help along my journey," said Kayden, who regularly works out on the pitch with his father. "He never forced me to play when I was young, but he told me when I wanted to start taking it seriously, which was right around the start of COVID, he'd do everything he could to help me out.
"He's definitely shared a lot of wisdom with me and I'm very thankful for that."
Kayden Dugas is playing fullback this season, further back in the formation than the role he had as a rookie in 2023 (Norman Bo photo).
A year ago, Dugas joined Phil Masri on the Canada West All-Rookie team when he produced two goals and three points, along with a tremendous work rate in midfield during his first university season.
"It meant a lot," he said of getting on that team with Masri, whom he regularly trained with prior to coming to MacEwan. "I think I had a strong end to the season.
"Seeing that I got up there definitely pushed me to keep going, keep working hard – trying to follow suite with what Phil did last year and hopefully get on that all-star, All-Canadian list."
This season, Dugas already has two assists in six games, even though he's added more defensive responsibilities to his plate.
While his game is maturing on the field, his habits off of it as a strong student in MacEwan's Phys-Ed transfer program are setting him up for success in life. He is considering going to medical school in the future.
"Being a good student makes you a better athlete, and vice-versa," he said. "I think if you're OK saying school doesn't matter and you're willing to just tank in it, you're missing some gold because you can learn a lot of things you do outside of school that applies to Athletics.
"Learning the time management skills to handle both and then handle a job, you start to learn those nuances that set you up for success in the future, even if you can't see those benefits right now."
