Adam Gaudette looks like right future fit
Less than two years ago, Adam Gaudette was a relatively unknown fifth-round draft pick, light on offensive production.
But now he’s one of the Canucks’ most important prospects and his development is going to be one of the referendums on the Jim Benning era.
Benning was recruited to Vancouver to be the general manager to rehabilitate the awful drafting that has haunted the Canucks for most of this century.
The top picks will always get the most run but if Benning is going to be successful, and he needs to be to stick round, the Canucks have to hit on late- and mid-round draft selections.
Gaudette is his, and the Canucks’ best chance and he slots in here as Vancouver’s No. 5 best prospect.
Gaudette exploded this season for Northeastern, ranked ninth in Division I hockey with 52 points.
What really got him noticed, however, was when he finished 40th. That would be on Craig Button’s list of the top 50 NHL affiliated players not yet playing in the big leagues.
“Every team needs players to come out of the woodwork, so to speak,” said Button, TSN’s top prospect analyst. “I believe the Canucks have that guy in Adam Gaudette. He’s a competitor.”
When Gaudette was taken 149th overall in 2015, he was both athletic and smart, but he was eighth in scoring on his own U.S. junior team with 30 points. For comparison, Brock Boeser, who played in the same league and was in the same draft class, had 68 points and led his team by 20.
But that’s the difference between a first-round pick and a fifth.
But even in the fifth round, there were smart people who thought the Canucks reached in picking Gaudette, who some thought was trending toward a checking line role.
“It’s really hard to score at that level and Adam was a player where the physical maturity hadn’t really made inroads in his game,” Button said.
“But he was a good offensive player. The numbers may not reflect it in the USHL, but he was. He has good hands, is a good playmaker and is always on the puck. He’s hungry. Now that he’s more physically mature, you can see that there’s more confidence to his game.
“I’ll tell you what, he’s one of the very top players in the NCAA. He’s a real good player.”
The Canucks need him to be that in the NHL.
With the Canucks already having lost Nikita Tryamkin this offseason, Gaudette’s development has become critical to the future success of the team. They don’t
have any other notable centres on this list of their 10 best prospects, underscoring how important he’s going to be after the Sedins retire.
Gaudette returns to Northeastern this fall, but a year from now, the Canucks will be out to sign him to an entry-level deal with plans to bring him to Vancouver.
Benning said Gaudette got up to 195 pounds this season. That’s something, because the 6-foot-1 centre weighed 170 pounds when he was drafted.
“Our guys saw the potential in him,” Benning said. “His work rate is really high. He’s like a dog on a bone on the puck on the ice and off of it, he really works. He’s got a high energy level. As he’s got stronger, physically, he gained confidence in his offensive game.”
The Canucks really liked the fit for Gaudette at Northeastern, where he got lots of opportunity to play on the power play as a freshman.
“I know because my nephew went there (Matt Benning), they have a real good strength and conditioning program,” Benning said.
“He wants to have a good summer again, and put on more weight and strength.”
It’s entirely possible that Gaudette is playing games with the Canucks to start the 2018-19 season.
“Because the details in his game are so good and his work rate so high, he could start off (in the NHL) on a fourth line, a sort of energy guy,” Benning said.
“He can play that role and work his way up. He has an excellent shot and he’s got some good offensive instincts around the net.”
Yes, the Canucks would use that on their fourth line.
And the third, and the second too.