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One thing you don’t expect to hear from a teenager with dozens of microphones and recorders thrust in his face one day before the biggest moment of his hockey life to date is a sales pitch — a confident and convincing one, too.
But Cutter Gauthier felt more than comfortable delivering it Wednesday morning at the Montreal Science Center one day before he’s expected to be a top-five pick, give or take, in the 2022 NHL Draft.
OK, Cutter. Over to you. Tell us what makes your game appealing.
“I’m a two-way power forward with lots of skill who loves throwing the body, is extremely versatile, whether it’s playing left wing, right wing or center, power play, penalty kill,” he said. “I’d say I’m a complete package. I can play any role in any situation.”
Gauthier, 18, has surged up mock draft boards in recent weeks for two reasons: (a) he displayed arguably the best all-around set of athletic tools at the 2022 NHL Draft Combine, with a 6-foot-3, 201-pound build to boot; and (b) it became clear that, while he experimented with playing left wing as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program, he’s comfortable being drafted and deployed as a center, and he’ll play center next season as a freshman at Boston College. Given his raw physical strength and power forward skill set, he’s one of the more unique specimens projected to go in the top half of the first round. If there’s a “Mock Draft buster,” it’s Gauthier, who could rise as high as the top three depending on what the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes decide to do. It’s reminiscent of the late run big center Pierre-Luc Dubois made in the 2016 draft season, culminating in him shockingly leapfrogging the ballyhooed Jesse Puljujarvi to go third overall.
If Wednesday’s top prospect media availability was any indication, Gauthier is at peace with whatever hype comes his way. Missing were all the forgivable ticks you often see in a top prospect facing more media attention than he’s ever seen: shifty eyes, stuttering, “ums” and the like. No, Gauthier was all eye contact and conviction, closer to holding court than weathering the storm of a scrum. And instead of viewing the team interview process, which he participated in with roughly half the NHL’s teams, as a pressure cooker, he says he soaked it in and enjoyed it as a once-in-a lifetime experience. He’s not easily fazed by much, it seems.
Perhaps that’s because he grew up in a hockey household. His father, Sean Gauthier, was a goaltender, drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1991. He split a long career primarily between the AHL, ECHL and Swedish League first and second divisions and even made it to the NHL for one game with the San Jose Sharks in 1998-99. As a kid, Gauthier didn’t just have a devoted hockey dad or even one who played the game as skater and could teach him things. He had a challenging target, a goaltender who could show him all the different ways he could beat other goaltenders. It’s no wonder Gauthier’s shot is one of his most revered skills among scouts.
“Whether it was street hockey or shooting on him all the ice, it’s all part of the fun, part of the process,” Gauthier said. “He did play a big role in my development. He played such a high level at goalie, and whether it’s shooting on him, teaching me ways to score on goalies, because he’s gone to the highest level, he knows all the holes to score on goalies. I think all those things over the course of the years have helped me become a really good goal scorer, and a lot of that is because of him.”
Despite all the power elements to Gauthier’s game, he’s no blunt instrument. He brings finesse, too, inspired by studying a much smaller, shiftier player over the years in U.S. NTDP alum Clayton Keller.
“I think just his creativity – I watched him as a young kid playing at the program when he was there,” Gauthier said. “It was just so fun the way he attacked defensemen, the way he controlled the place of play. It was really cool to watch how he handled the game and how he handled himself off the ice, and it’s something I’ve tried to model myself after.”
It’s no secret Gauthier’s athleticism has made him a bit of a marvel. Growing up in Scottsdale, Airzona, which obviously isn’t a hockey hotbed, meant he got exposure to many different sports, including football and soccer. He’s also ambidextrous. His ability to swing a golf club left or right handed has quickly made him an urban legend, but will those skills apply to game situations?
“I don’t know if it helps me at all – I think it’s just a cool thing to have, a trick in your bag,” he said. “Maybe if the equipment manager hands you the wrong stick, you go out there and make a play with it right-handed. It’s something pretty cool that I’ve developed over the years. I’m not too sure if it helps me at all on the ice, but I’d like to think it does.”
He’s too honest, too direct to be hyperbolic about himself, and the skills he does bring to the ice make him dangerous enough, even if he’s “only” shooting left-handed. He’s well-rounded, a deadly goal-scorer but also tenacious and physical without the puck. His regular NTDP linemate and fellow projected top-five pick, Logan Cooley, has seen what Gauthier can do firsthand all season long.
“I’d be really happy for him (to get picked high) too,” Cooley said Wednesday. “He’s a heck of a player, too. He’s a bigger guy and has really good speed. We both have good speed and can find each other. We just always knew where each other were and we produced a lot together, so it was nice playing with him.”
Given his mature build and physicality, Gauthier feels like one of the more NHL-ready players in the draft class. Even if he’s expected to report to Boston College for at least one year, it’s increasingly likely a team will call his name in the top five, if not higher.
“It’s up in the air right now, it’s pretty cool to see,” he said. “I’ve never been in a situation like this. I’m just doing what I normally do, like it’s another day. But it’s crazy how fast time flies and how I’m already here at the NHL Draft, something I dreamed about as a young kid.”
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