Now that his junior season with Northeastern is over, Adam Gaudette has decided to turn pro and sign his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The deal is for three years, and he will join the Canucks right away, burning the first season in 2017-18.
Gaudette, 21, is the odds-on favorite to take home this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the best collegiate player in the country. Though his Northeastern squad was eliminated from the NCAA tournament this weekend at the hands of Michigan, his 60-point season did not go unnoticed. The fifth-round pick has developed into an all-around talent that can contribute defensively and create offensive opportunities on seemingly every shift. Vancouver GM Jim Benning released the following statement on Gaudette:
Adam has had a remarkable season and college career playing at Northeastern. He’s a very talented player and has shown an ability to score, make plays and contribute in all situations at the collegiate level. We’re excited to have him join our team and continue his development as a professional.
Leading the nation in scoring and potentially winning the Hobey Baker is an accomplishment to be sure, but Gaudette’s real text will come at the NHL level. He’s expected to get into some games before the end of the season, similar the the path taken by new teammate Brock Boeser last year. While there is no guarantee those two play together, they do seem like a fit that could work down the line. Though he scored 30 goals this season, Gaudette isn’t armed with the same type of pure goal-scoring ability that Boeser possesses, and instead could turn into more of a facilitator for his linemates by using his strength and speed to create room in the offensive zone.
Vancouver, like Buffalo who signed fellow NCAA superstar Casey Mittelstadt earlier today, is looking ahead to the draft lottery and next season already. While getting Gaudette into some NHL action to see what he can do is important, the team is hoping for much better things in 2018-19 when they can forget about this season and build towards the future. With top prospects Elias Pettersson and Olli Juolevi already in the pipeline, another top pick will make quite the bright future for the Canucks and Gaudette is certainly part of that.