Wheeler has his top 50 prospects list up:
Jiricek is 3rd
Stankoven 9th
Gauthier 11th (from 35 in July)
Between a 10-point performance at the world juniors that somehow felt snakebitten, and leading the Eagles in goals and points as a freshman, this has been a solid post-draft season for Gauthier.
The appeal of his game and makeup has always been obvious. Gauthier’s a net-focused shooter but he has worked to turn himself into a net-driven one, playing a more intentional game that knows what it is. On the puck, he uses inside body positioning to get to the middle off the cycle or the rush. Off of it, he finishes his checks and looks to help his line get it back.
I wouldn’t say he’s a menacing power forward type, but he plays a very engaged, imposing, speed game. Gauthier’s also a strong skater and despite his heavy skew toward shooting and goals, I find he sees the ice well, hits seams when they’re there, and makes a lot of short plays as a passer off the wall (including off his backhand). His greatest strength is his catch-and-release. He can sling it. I do think he shoots a bit too much (a lot of his shots miss the net or are taken from low-percentage areas), but you can live with that. He’s got a readymade, projectable game and can put the puck in the net.
I fully expect Gauthier to be an impactful NHL player and scorer. I’m not sure he’ll be a star, and I’m not sure if I prefer him at the wing or center (I think I’d lean wing because of his play style as a shooter and strength along the wall, but with his skating and size the middle of the ice have some appeal, too), but he’s on a path to a nice career as a top-six forward.
York is 31st
And I must admit: It has been nice, as someone who stuck his neck out for York ahead of the draft when there were divergent opinions, and who remained bullish when it took him some time to figure the pro game out, to see him playing 20-plus minutes successfully and regularly of late.
Everyone always agreed he was a good young player and kid who does a lot well. He also developed out his 5-foot-11 frame in the last couple of years. But there were concerns about his ability to really dictate and determine outcomes on the ice at the NHL level in ways he did at lower levels. He’s a smooth skater but not an explosive one. And while he’s talented with the puck on his stick, capable of running a power play, mobile moving side-to-side across the line and a superb passer who has produced at every level he’s ever played at, some worried that he wasn’t quite dynamic enough to become a truly high-end offensive defenseman, nor big enough and powerful enough to become go-to defensive zone guy.
I saw an excellent distributor who makes the game look easy, rotating in and out of space with and without the puck to make plays and get open. I saw a light, fluid stride and smooth hands which help him manipulate opposing players, create separation without a separation gear and manage pressure to play with a ton of poise with the puck. I saw a positional defender who does a good enough job gapping up and maintaining his gaps to help break up plays and transition back the other way without needing to push people around. I saw a potential top-four defenseman who could be an effective and offensively-inclined three-zone player. The Flyers are seeing that now, too (and credit to John Tortorella on the York front because he has handled his progression smartly this year).
Andrae, Brink, Foerster were "honorable mentions" (55 total)
Players taken after Gauthier, Savoie #9 (10), Korchinski #7 (12), Mintyokuv #10 (13), Mateychuk #12 (14), Snuggerund #23 (15), Hutson #62 (17), Kasper #8 (21), Nazar #13 (25), McGroaty #14 (37), Ostlund #16 (44), Lekkerimaki #15 (47), Geekie #11 (honorable mention)
