Recently signed Adam Gaudette excited for his first NHL game with Canucks

“I’m just going to go out there and have fun.”

Gaudette is leaving a Northeastern program that advanced to the NCAA tournament twice in the last three seasons and this year won the prestigious Beanpot tournament. He comes to a Canuck team that was sitting 28th in the NHL Wednesday with a 28-40-9 record.

Knowing Vancouver will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and for the fourth time in five years, hasn’t dampened Gaudette’s enthusiasm for the future.

The year before he joined Northeastern the Huskies started the season 0-8-2. They came out of the gate 1-11-2 in his freshman year.

“I have kind have been in that situation before,” said Gaudette. “We turned that around in a matter of three years.

“I’m just trying to come in and do my part to make this team better. I’ve been there before, not in as big a spectrum, so I have a little taste of that.”

Gaudette followed the Canucks’ season while attending school.

“I’m sure my teachers weren’t too happy that I was watching the highlights in class,” he said.

The Canucks drafted Gaudette in the fifth round, 149th overall, in 2015. Besides bringing a badly needed scoring touch to Vancouver, at six-foot-one and 185 pounds he also plays with an edge.

“It’s easy to have an attitude (in college), you don’t have anyone trying to fight you,” Gaudette joked.

As a college rookie, Gaudette had 12 goals and 30 points. This year he led all NCAA players with 30 goals and 60 points. He has a quick-release wrist shot and doesn’t shy away from going to the net.

Head coach Travis Green hopes to use Gaudette in Vancouver’s five remaining games. He’s expected to start as a fourth-line centre.

“I want to see what kind of player he is, where he’s at,” said Green. “He doesn’t have to show me anything more than what he is.

“I’m not looking for him to be something he’s not. I want him to feel comfortable, try to keep confidence.”

Experiencing some playing time late in the season should show Gaudette what areas of his game he will need to improve on over the summer as he prepares for next fall’s training camp.

“It’s a learning experience,” said Green. “It’s a big jump out of college hockey. We’ll try to put him in a spot he can be OK.

“He is going to benefit for sure. He hasn’t had the luxury of being at a training camp. Skating on the ice with NHL players is a lot different than skating on the ice with college players. Just the pace, the strength, the passing, the positioning of the players. It’s going to be a huge benefit for him in what to expect next year when he comes in.”

The rebuilding Canucks are hoping history repeats itself.

Last year right-winger Brock Boeser joined the team with nine games remaining after his season ended with the University of North Dakota. Boeser had four goals and an assist in those games.

In 62 games this year Boeser led the Canucks with 29 goals and 55 assists. He was considered a rookie of the year candidate before suffering a season-ending back injury.

Gaudette’s arrival has caused excitement in a Vancouver hockey market starved for good news. He understands the expectations being put on him.

“All I can control is going out there and playing hard and playing my game style,” he said. “That’s why I’m here, because they see something in me and how I play.

“I’m not going to go out there and change anything. I’m going to go out and play as I played all year. I’m excited to get out there and see how I compare to some of those guys in a game.”

Growing up in the Boston area, Gaudette was a huge Bruins fan. He remembers 2011 when Boston won the Stanley Cup in seven games over Vancouver.

“It’s funny how things change,” he said. “Now I’m here.

“I took a little heat when I first got drafted for some tweets. I got these deleted.”

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Recently signed Adam Gaudette excited for his first NHL game with Canucks

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