Portland to the Pros: Gauthier Embraces the Journey and Steps into the NHL Spotlight
March 4, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Portland, Ore. - Throughout a standout five-year career in the Western Hockey League, Taylor Gauthier has always been building toward Tuesday, March 1, 2022.
That's the day he put pen to paper on a National Hockey League contract after going undrafted during his window of eligibility.
"As a kid growing up in Canada, it's your dream to play in the NHL. You want to take steps to get there, and signing an NHL contract is a big step. I'm extremely honored to be given this opportunity, but at the same time, I know the hard work is just beginning," said Gauthier.
Starting with his selection in the first round of the 2016 WHL draft by the Prince George Cougars, Gauthier seemed to have the inside track on reaching the NHL.
But the NHL felt differently - Gauthier's first draft-eligible year in 2019 came and went without fanfare, and the Calgary, Alta. native was left without a dance partner.
"I think getting passed over the first year was real heartbreaking for me. I thought with every part of me that I was going to get drafted. That was a tough thing to bounce back from. But all you can do whenever you have a setback like that is just get back to work and try to prove people wrong," said Gauthier.
Through the disappointment of not hearing his name called came a watershed moment for the talented young goaltender.
"When I got passed over my first year in the draft, I actually put a reminder in my phone for every morning at six o'clock - 'get a contract.' When I signed it and was able to take that off, it was a pretty special feeling for me. All the hard work that's gone into it behind the scenes, the hard work I've put in, the coaches I've had, my teammates - I couldn't have done it without the support system I've had over the last couple of years, through all the ups and downs. It's really special and I'm really happy I can share that with them," said Gauthier on Thursday.
Gauthier remained steadfast in his belief that he was going to be an NHL goaltender, even through two more drafts without a phone call. And on Tuesday, it paid off as he sealed up a three-year, entry-level deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I think my whole mentality in the last couple of years has just been instead of focusing on the opinions of scouts or coaches or anything like that, to just focus on one little thing a day that I can get better at, whether that's rebound control, conditioning...just set little goals for yourself and worry about the things that are within your control. Anything outside of that is just a waste of energy and is not going to help you, in the long run, to improve as a player," he said.
Gauthier's renewed focus yielded not only an offer from the Penguins, but plenty of interest from other NHL teams as well.
But perhaps the greatest benefit of going undrafted is the freedom to pick your own path when signing as a free agent, and the Calgary kid knew where he wanted to be.
"There were a couple of teams showing some interest in me, but Pittsburgh was one that I've had my eye on for a while, and I think the same was true vice versa. I think it's a real good fit, you know, there's opportunity there to play and win a job and that's all you can really ask for when coming into a new organization. I'm excited to have my name signed on the dotted line and to start building toward next year," he said.
All the work, the disappointments, the twists and turns became worth it with the stroke of a pen. It wasn't the conventional path, but that's hardly Gauthier's style anyway. Sporting the non-traditional right-handed catching style, Gauthier can often be seen wheeling away in fist-pumping, knee-sliding celebrations after wins. So much for the stoic, reclusive goalie stereotype.
No, Gauthier may not be your grandfather's goaltender, and his road to pro hockey might not match the developmental archetype of others, but he knows that his path is still heading right where it should be.
"At the end of the day, I think the only thing the draft does is limit your options and put three little letters beside your name on the scoresheet. If you look back at it, there were so many goalies that got picked (in my draft year) and we all have contracts now, so we're basically at the same place. I think at the time it was a lot more important to me to get drafted than, say, in the last year or two.
"Honestly, during the last draft, I was kind of relieved whenever I went through and was undrafted because then it really opened the door for 32 teams to come in and watch, and I really put it upon myself to go out and play the best I can to show the teams 'I'm here. If you want me, I'm all yours,'" said Gauthier.
Things changed for Gauthier when his 32-team audition moved to a different stage.
As he continued to build his skillset and worked toward turning off that alarm on his phone, his team in Prince George continued to struggle. Gauthier never saw playoff hockey as a Cougar, and the club never reached 25 wins during his tenure.
But in December, the team's overage netminder was offered a change of scenery and a new opportunity to turn some heads. A trade was made, and he was off to the Rose City.
"I think it's been a roller coaster over the last couple of years - lots of ups, lots of downs. Coming here, I knew I was gonna start with a fresh slate and I think so far I've made the most of it. This team is filled with so many talented players but we also play a real structured game and everyone's bought into the system. So when you have those two things working together at the same time, you're gonna get individual success and team success as well," said Gauthier.
Of course, this wasn't a one-way transaction. The Winterhawks had to be sure this was their guy if they were going to cough up assets.
The team did its research, and by the time Head Coach and General Manager Mike Johnston dealt Jonas Brøndberg and a collection of picks to the Cougars for the veteran netminder, he knew exactly what he was getting - even if he remained surprised by Gauthier's undrafted status.
"I didn't talk to him too much about (the NHL). I talked to him about our program and what we're all about. But trying to find out why he wasn't drafted was what we dug in on as a staff because as we look at a player like that, we said the same thing - 'why hasn't this player been drafted? Are there any red flags? Are there any issues? What are the scouts seeing?' - because I see a different player. I see a very good goaltender who does a lot of things well.
"So we tried to search for anything we could find just for a reason why he wasn't drafted, and we couldn't find one. When he came here, scouts asked me about him, and in turn, I asked them about him. I don't understand why he wasn't drafted, because everything I've seen, all the research I've done indicates to me that he's a pro goaltender," said Johnston.
Just over two months after making his move south, the early returns on Gauthier's tenure in Portland are promising. Like, "13 wins in 14 starts, a .943 save percentage, 1.64 GAA and his first three shutouts of the year" kind of promising.
Alongside 19-year-old counterpart Dante Giannuzzi, Gauthier has helped form quite the two-headed monster in Portland's crease.
Dating back to Gauthier's first start on Jan. 8, the Winterhawks' goaltending tandem has backstopped the team to a remarkable 18-2-0-1 record. Go back a bit further to the start of December 2021, and the club is 28-3-1-1 thanks to a run of eight wins in nine consecutive starts by Giannuzzi.
That's the kind of run that coaches only hope for when they acquire a player, and Johnston is living the dream.
"We had followed him from the summer, he was a guy that we had marked as maybe a potential player for our team because we wanted to see how our goaltending sorted out. By Christmas, we thought we'd probably need to enter the second half with two experienced goaltenders because our team is so young. So as we looked around the league, he was one guy that jumped out to me because he's had international experience, he's played really well in Prince George over the years whenever we played against them. So I watched him closer, tried to find out more about his personality and character, and we decided to make the deal with Prince George," he said.
"It gives us a great tandem - did we expect he would have the start that he had? Probably not, but we knew that he was an experienced veteran goaltender, and those guys are really valuable at this time of year."
In fewer than 20 games, Gauthier has already etched his name in Winterhawks history with the club's longest shutout streak, and his 11 straight wins fell just four short of the franchise's goaltender win streak record.
Though as remarkable as Gauthier's performance has been on the ice, it's his presence and leadership off of it that have caught Johnston's eye.
"Oftentimes when you acquire a player, they take a backseat in your dressing room. But since Taylor arrived on our team, he's been front and center with our leadership group, he has a great presence in our room.
"When we have young kids we've just drafted coming for a visit, he'll go talk to them and introduce them to other players on the team. Usually, that's left to the third and fourth-year players in your group, but he's fit in really well from a personality perspective with our leadership group. He has that confidence, that presence that I think you look for in quarterbacks, pitchers, goaltenders; that confidence that helps your team out," said Johnston
With a league-best .932 season-long save percentage in tow, Gauthier and the Hawks now look forward to the goaltender's first career trip to the WHL postseason. After clinching its spot in the Western Conference's top eight last weekend - in Prince George, of all places - Portland is set to host playoff hockey for the 11th consecutive season.
But some time later, once the adrenaline of playoff hockey subsides, Gauthier looks forward to unwinding with his first "big" post-contract purchase.
"I think I'm just gonna get a nice set of golf clubs. I've been using my dad's for a little bit, so I'd like to get a nice set for myself. Maybe my dad can have his clubs back and we can get out a couple of times this summer, on me."
He'll definitely have a few extra bucks to spend on tee times.
Western Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2022
- Rebels Hold on to Edge Pats - Regina Pats
- Four-Goal Second Period Paces Raiders to Win in Moose Jaw - Prince Albert Raiders
- Portland to the Pros: Gauthier Embraces the Journey and Steps into the NHL Spotlight - Portland Winterhawks
- Americans Take on Thunderbirds at Toyota Center - Tri-City Americans
- Chiefs Continue Road Trip against Prince George Cougars Friday - Spokane Chiefs
- ICE Recall Swan - Winnipeg Ice
- Game Day Hub: March 4 at EVT - Portland Winterhawks
- Pats Begin Four Game Homestand with RE/MAX WHL Talk Today Game - Regina Pats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
