Gauthier needs some attention
Gauthier passed over twice in NHL draft but teammates know he's a special talent
When they talk about the highs and lows of being a hockey player, few have taken more laps on the emotional roller-coaster this early in a career than goalie Taylor Gauthier.
He won a gold medal for Canada at the Gretzky-hlinka Cup, then sat in the stands through all seven rounds of the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver without being picked. He was passed over again in the 2020 draft in October, but bounced back to win a spot on the Canadian world junior team.
He admits that, when they called his room on the day of the final cuts to let him know the coaches wanted to talk to him, he had no idea which way the roller-coaster was headed.
“Getting woken out of your sleep is always kind of scary to begin with,” said the 19-year-old from Calgary. “Then the first words you hear are, `Coaches want to talk to you.' You get that pit in your stomach.
“But once I got down there and heard the good news, it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. To have that little bit of relief, knowing I made it, that the dream has come true to wear the Maple Leaf on Boxing Day.”
Despite being one of the best junior goalies in the country, Gauthier has had a hard time convincing NHL teams that he's worth a pick. Part of the problem is that he plays in Prince George, B.C., which is well off the beaten path, and the other part is that Prince George is a bad team (19th in a 22-team league).
But the people who see him play regularly know how good he is.
“He's a special goalie,” said fellow Team Canada goalie Dylan Garand, who plays for the fifthplace Kamloops Blazers. “We play them eight times a year and he seems to have our number. He's the reason they beat us a couple of times when they probably shouldn't have.
“He's super athletic, has super flexibility, and can win a game on any given night.”
But, while 41 goalies were selected in the NHL draft over the past two years, the kid with the 31-56-9 junior record over that span is still on the outside looking in. It's something he's worked hard to keep in perspective.
“The last couple of years have been filled with ups and downs,” he said.
“Going through the draft the first time and not getting selected was definitely a little heartbreaking. I didn't know how to deal with that kind of adversity. Growing up, I'd always been picked to play on the highest team. Every time I tried out for a team I would make it. That was the first time I had to deal with the fact that I didn't reach a goal that I had set out myself.”
After allowing himself a brief period of mourning, he went right back to work and focused on controlling what he could control — stopping pucks and staying positive.
“That was a big boost in my mental strength, not worrying about variables like the draft. It gave a little more peace of mind and made things a little easier. It helped me find the love of the game again, prioritizing going out here, working hard and having fun.”
So here he is, at the heart of the fun with Team Canada in the world junior championship. This is also another chance to get noticed by the NHL crowd, but that's not a priority right now.
“Playing in Northern B.C., it's been tough for teams to get out and see me,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to get some eyes on me, but it's not a really a huge focus for me. I do realize teams will be watching, but I kind of focus on playing my game and helping out in any way I can.”
He showed at the Hlinka tournament that he can do more than just help out, as he came through on the big stage. With the Canadians down 2-0 after the first three shots of the game, he came on in relief and didn't allow another goal in an 8-2 win over Sweden.
“It definitely proved to me that I'm a good goalie and I can give the team a chance to win.”