Johnny Gaudreau The Big Man In College
If there is a better hockey player in the NCAA I dare you to show me. Johnny Gaudreau has had one beast of a year in the NCAA and has been rewarded a contract with the Calgary Flames. In fact his season has been so impressive that Johnny Gaudreau is the best player in the NCAA right now.
When the season began for Gaudreau he was a junior at Boston College with a bright future. By the time the NCAA season came to an end, he was no longer at Boston College. Instead, with a Hobey Baker to his name, he was a member of the Calgary Flames choosing to sign with them over his senior year at BC.
Johnny Gaudreau’s trophy case from his college days is full after winning almost every NCAA award and a World Junior
Photo Courtesy of D. Mahoney Flickr
Championship gold medal. However, his junior year was special. He was able to play on the Eagles alongside his brother Matt and won his 2nd straight Hockey East player of the year award. Alongside his brother Matt, Johnny recorded a remarkable 80 points in 40 games as he led Boston College into the Frozen Four.
For his efforts this season with the Eagles which saw him lead the NCAA in scoring, Gaudreau won the 2014 Hobey Baker award. Last year Gaudreau was a final three finalist for the award during his sophomore season.
Gaudreau first broke onto the national scene during his 2013 World Junior run with team USA. He recorded 9 points in 7 games and turned a lot of heads. A lot of people were quite surprised to find out the Flames drafted him in the 4th round of the 2011 draft. He seemed to come out of nowhere despite an impressive college career.
What Johnny Gaudreau’s success shows fans and hopefully NHL teams is two things. For starters, sometimes quality draft picks don’t come in the first or second rounds of a draft. The kids taken in the third and fourth rounds might just need a little more time to develop, but don’t count them out. The next biggest takeaway is that college hockey kids can play. There is a constant battle between the NCAA route and the CHL route, and for a long time the CHL route has been more draft friendly. While the NCAA players might take an extra couple of years due to their University commitments, the NCAA is building a solid track record with it’s NCAA players.
After three years at Boston College, Johnny Gaudreau signed his entry level contract with the Calgary Flames and managed to play in a game before the end of the regular season. He scored in his NHL debut and the Flames seem to be quite pleased with their former NCAA prospect and Hobey Baker winner.
Gaudreau is expected to play for team USA at the World Championships now that both his NCAA and NHL season’s have come to an end.
Johnny Gaudreau is the prototypical college hockey player, who is poised for success in the NHL. He’s won it all in junior hockey and now it’s time for him to show the NHL that his NCAA game can translate to the big leagues. There have been other college players before him, however with the recent surge of NCAA signings Gaudreau could become a trailblazer.