A BIGGER, HEALTHIER GAUDETTE
Forward’s two-way play impressive
WHISTLER Near the end of an extended scrimmage on Monday — and with many of his training camp peers running on fumes — centre Adam Gaudette shifted into overdrive.
On a spirited rush, the Hobey Baker Award winner drove hard to the net off the wing for a scoring chance. He then banged away in a corner boards puck battle before racing back to break up a 2-on-1 break.
It’s not the stuff that shows up on the scoresheet, but the effort will resonate with Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green.
So will his effort during an earlier scrimmage, backchecking and scoring a goal in transition, proving that he managed to score 60 NCAA points (30-30) with Northeastern last season while playing a well-rounded, two-way game.
Gaudette put in the off-season work to add 10 pounds of muscle and now he’s throwing checks instead of absorbing them. He’s up to 185 pounds after playing at 175 during his five-game audition at the end of last NHL season.
He says better nutrition has made the difference.
Instead of the college grabwhat-you-can cycle of submarine sandwiches, pizza and fried food, Gaudette adhered to a strict protein-based diet complemented by vegetables and supplements.
“I have to eat more than most to just maintain the weight,” said Gaudette.
“I’ve got a quicker metabolism and the body isn’t fully developed yet. With my weight and strength,
I see a huge difference from those five games. I was kind of getting bounced off pucks easily and now I’m holding my own against big bodies, bearing down on pucks, and winning stick battles.
“I’m more comfortable and getting up and down ice the faster and that makes the game a lot easier.”
There’s nothing easy about how the roster is going to shake out down the middle.
In Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle, the Canucks seem set.
Then again, what if whiz kid Pettersson, who was the Swedish Hockey League’s most valuable player in the regular season and playoffs, struggles to adjust to the North American ice surface? What if he needs help in the faceoff circle and is aligned with the versatile Sutter?
That could open up a centre ice spot and create another jam on wing.
“I don’t try to think about that and I don’t want to get my head wrapped up in it and having it affect my game,” said Gaudette, who turns 22 on Oct 3, and has played with Brendan Leipsic and Jake Virtanen through camp.
“I can only control how I play. It’s definitely been a tough camp and I expected it to be. But it’s a lot of fun, too.
“It’s easier to play with good players who have experience and know what it takes to be a player. It’s good to have that guidance, but I just focus on what I do best: battle hard and play a good defensive game and the points will come.
“The summer training I had and the two (Young Stars Classic) games in Penticton really helped. The only thing I know is to go 100 per cent all the time. That’s what got me here and that’s what’s going to take me further.”
Green was reluctant to name his roster for the pre-season opener on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena. Seven games crammed into 11 days can present both demands and options, but the Gaudette line looks like a unit he’d like to deploy sooner than later. It’s the same story with Pettersson between countryman Jonathan Dahlen and Nikolay Goldobin, who scored three goals on Monday.
As for Gaudette, the early returns are good. Green sees a young player who gets it and is mostly concerned with being a solid two-way presence.
“I see a young guy at his first pro camp who has had some bright spots and some spots where he has looked tired, which is to be expected,” said Green.
“He’s a real good player. We’re excited. We like him, but to make a comment about a player right now is a little premature, and I want to stay away from that . ...
“In your first pro camp, you’re going to have days where you feel really good and then maybe not so good. It’s how you battle through that. Each player is different.”
The only thing I know is to go 100 per cent all the time. That’s what got me here and that’s what’s going to take me further.