High-scoring Gauthier could be perfect for Flyers in NHL draft
Some believe the Flyers should be grateful that Julien Gauthier, once regarded as one of the top four or five forwards in this week's draft, has dropped in the rankings.
Some believe the Flyers should be grateful that Julien Gauthier, once regarded as one of the top four or five forwards in this week's draft, has dropped in the rankings.
That means the high-scoring right winger may be available when the Flyers select 18th in the opening round in Buffalo on Friday.
Gauthier is the prototypical power forward. He has size and speed, good hands, a powerful shot, and a knack for always being in scoring position. Scouts have compared him to a young Rick Nash, and he is just the type of sniper the Flyers need in their system.
"He's a pure goal scorer," said Craig Button, the highly respected draft guru for TSN in Canada.
The 6-foot-3, 231-pound Gauthier scored 41 goals in 54 games for Val-d'Or in the QMJHL this season.
But perhaps because he didn't score a goal in five World Junior games - or because he has some defensive shortcomings - Gauthier slipped from fourth to 12th in Central Scouting's list of North American skaters.
Gauthier did manage two assists, and he was the only first-year, draft-eligible player selected to Canada's World Junior team.
NHL.com's two writers project Gauthier will be selected 18th (by the Flyers) and 22nd, respectively; CBS Sports ranked him 18th; USA Today rated him 22nd; and Button dropped him to 43rd.
"He's a train the way he skates. He's not only big, he's fast. It's even harder to stop him, and he's got skills," Halifax coach Dominique Ducharme told Sportsnet.ca. "You can't see too many flaws there."
Gauthier, 18, a fitness addict who scored highly during the scouting combine's physical testing earlier this month, has good blood lines. His grandfather and father were both bodybuilders who were named Mr. Canada, and his uncle, Denis Gauthier, played in 10 NHL seasons, including two with the Flyers. Denis Gauthier was a physical 6-3, 224-pound defenseman.
Julien Gauthier doesn't shy away from contact, but he figures to make his mark in the NHL with his goal-scoring, which happens to be a glaring Flyers weakness.
Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said there is some danger in picking a player based on need.
"If you look at the history of the draft, there's a lot of players in that first round that don't play in the league or don't play many games in the league," Hextall said. "So if you start getting specific and trying to fill needs, you can miss. So we want to take the player that's got partially the best chance of playing and partially the best player. There's a little bit of a mix there that we talk about amongst our scouts."
The knock on Gauthier is that he is too one-dimensional and needs to improve his defensive play. But his scoring and the havoc he creates in front of opposing goalies will still make him an attractive draft pick to some team.
Maybe even the Flyers.
@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog