Gaudreau making his mark with NHL's Flames

Johnny Gaudreau grew up with the dream of playing in the National Hockey League.

Now in his rookie season with the Calgary Flames, the 21-year-old who starred at Gloucester Catholic High School has discovered the highest level of the sport in North America isn't quite what he imagined.

It's better.

"It's even more exciting that I thought it would be," Gaudreau said this week in a telephone interview. "It's a dream come true for me to play in the NHL. It's even better than I thought it would be."

One of the NHL's youngest, smallest players (5-foot-9, 150 pounds), Gaudreau has made a dazzling debut. He is one of six rookies who have been selected to participate in the NHL skills competition Saturday at the league's All-Star Game festivites in Columbus, Ohio.

"I grew up watching these guys who will be there," Gaudreau said of the All-Star Game. "I'm really excited for that."

Through Tuesday, Gaudreau had 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 45 games. He was plus-12 for a team that was 25-18-3 and in fourth place in the NHL's Pacific Division.

"This is what he always dreamed of," said Guy Gaudreau, John's father and his coach in youth hockey and at Gloucester Catholic. "It's hard to believe that five to six years ago he was running around here in South Jersey and now we're watching him on TV in the NHL.

"We're like, 'Is that really our kid?' "

Gaudreau had a three-point game Nov. 8 against the Florida Panthers; a hat trick Dec. 22 against the Los Angeles Kings; and a two-goal game, including the game-winner, in a Dec. 27 game vs. the Edmonton Oilers.

On Monday night, Gaudreau had an assist on Dennis Wideman's game-winning goal in overtime against Los Angeles.

"I'm just trying to keep playing well," Johnny Gaudreau said. "I try not to think about what a thrill and honor it is to play in the NHL. I just try to keep playing, keep focusing, trying to get better and better and learning more and more about the league."

Gaudreau was in the news recently when his agent, Lewis Gross, sought to patent and trademark "Johnny Hockey," the athlete's nickname.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel filed for a trademark for "Johnny Football" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office when he was a star player at Texas A&M in 2013.

"It was my agent's idea," Gaudreau said. "He saw that my name was being associated with some things that I shouldn't be associated with and wanted to do something about it."

Gross told Canada's TSN that the trademark and patent applications in the United States and Canada were made to protect Gaudreau.

"We were concerned that people were going to abuse the 'Johnny Hockey' name, coming out with 'Johnny Hockey' shirts and stuff, and we wanted to make sure that did not occur," Gross told TSN. "We felt that Johnny was going to be a special player, and if he takes off the way we felt he could, he has the potential to have endorsement opportunities that could be very valuable.

"He's still just a rookie and we want him to focus on playing. . . . When you watch Johnny play, there's something unique and special."

A speedy left winger, Gaudreau won the Hobie Baker Award as college hockey's top player last season as a junior at Boston College. He made the Flames' roster out of training camp.

He was scoreless in the first five games but broke through with a goal and assist in an Oct. 19 game against the Winnipeg Jets.

"I wasn't playing as well as I wanted," Gaudreau said of the first few games of the season. "When I had that game against Winnipeg, I felt so much more confident. I've been trying to build on that."

Gaudreau said he tries not to look ahead. But he knows the Flames' schedule includes a March 3 game against the Flyers in Philadelphia as part of an East Coast swing with games at the New York Rangers (Feb. 24), New Jersey Devils (Feb. 25), New York Islanders (Feb. 27), and Boston Bruins (March 5).

"I can't wait for that," Gaudreau said of his return to the Philadelphia area.

Since his days at Gloucester Catholic High School, Johnny Gaudreau, now a star left wing for the Calgary Flames, has shown he can score and score a lot. Here are his offensive stats since the 2009-10 hockey season:

Season   Team   GP   G   A   Pts

2009-10   Team Comcast   48   29   29   58

Tier 1 Elite Hockey League

2009-10   Gloucester Catholic   14   21   27   48

2010-11   Dubuque    60   36   36   72

Playoffs   11   5   6   11

United States Hockey League

2011-12   Boston College   44   21   23   44

2012-13   Boston College   35   21   30   51

2012-13   United States    7   7   2   9

World Junior Championships

2013-14   Flames   1   1   0   1

2013-14   Boston College   40   36   44   80

2013-14   United States   7   2   8   10

World Championships

2014-15   Flames   45   13   21   34

NHL Totals   46   14   21   35   

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