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So how about Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau folks?
For anyone who has been paying attention to the IIHF World Championship, you have likely seen a few video replays from Team USA forward and Calgary Flames prospect Johnny Gaudreau.
The 5’8 forward was drafted by the Flames in 2011 and has since opened a lot of eyes. Having recently won the Hobey Baker award while playing for Boston College in the H-East, Gaudreau has put up some very respectable numbers of late and continues to do so at the Worlds. During said tournament, Gaudreau has posted 10pts in 7 games played with Team USA.
During his last season in the college ranks, Gaudreau racked up 80pts in just 40 games played and was a dynamic player on the ice. He surprised many in his senior year and was clearly ready to make the jump to the pros. The only real concern for this 20 year old prospect entering the NHL was his size.
And with that, Gaudreau partook in the Flames final NHL games of the year getting game number one under his belt. And while he didn’t necessarily play a ton of minutes, he didn’t really look out of place.
With respect to the Worlds, and for those who haven’t seen any of the footage which I mentioned above, take a look at some of these!
There is clearly a case to be made that this young forward, despite being small, has a ton of raw offensive talent. Gaudreau sees the ice very, very, well. As displayed above, Johnny managed to find players crashing the net by creating room for himself, but also by making very shifty and creative plays.
With respect to his size, as it continues to be the main focus when discussing his potential, I’ve watched a good number of shifts from the forward so far during this Worlds Championship and can say this – he does look small. There are times where he has been pushed off the puck or out-muscled along the boards. This will be something that Gaudreau will need to work on during the summer (core strength condition).
The positives to take away from this all, however, is that the aspects of Johnny’s game which are being demonstrated at the moment are things you can’t really teach; high hockey IQ, and finesse. Boy can this kid with the puck and create plays. It has been very impressive to watch, I must say.
With that established, we should try and reserve judgment on the prospect who has played but one NHL game to date. The Worlds is certainly good experience for Gaudreau as he prepares himself for his upcoming NHL or AHL season, however there are only a percentage of NHLers present, so it’s just a taste of what is to come.
The physical aspect offered through the tournament is also only a percentage of what is generally found during an NHL game, so Johnny will need to ensure that he doesn’t get too “cocky” and pick up any bad habits which could cost the Flames points during the regular season. Provided that he continues to work on his strength and learns by playing and training with other NHLers, we could see a lot of this kid during the 2014-15 NHL season.
There is clearly still a bunch that this young player will need to work on as he develops, but I let me close by saying this – the Flames appear to have drafted a gem with their 4th round pick from 2011.
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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