Looking Into the Incredible Start from Adam Gaudette

In case you didn’t feel like staying up until 1 am a couple nights ago, here’s a quick recap of what happened: The San Jose Sharks mainly dominated the play, but the Senators led for most of the game thanks to the great play of Linus Ullmark, and the not-so great play of Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. The Sens led pretty well the whole game until the Sharks tied it at three part-way through the third.

Enter Adam Gaudette to save the day! With less than five minutes to go in the third, he scored his second of the game, and 11th of the season. A few more Ullmark saves had this game finish 4-3 for the Senators. The Senators managed just 11 shots, but scored on four of them; that’s quite the shooting percentage. Speaking of high shooting percentages, Adam Gaudette has 11 goals on just 31 shots. He’s been the feel good story of the season for the Senators so far. It’s time to recognize the early season greatness of Adam Gaudette. Let’s dive in.

READ MORE: Checking in on Ottawa Senators Top Prospect Carter Yakemchuk

The Career Path of Adam Gaudette

The Vancouver Canucks took a late round flier on Gaudette back in 2015. By the time he finished his University career at Northwestern, he was one of the best players in college hockey. His last season saw him score 30 goals and 60 points in 38 games. Both his goal and point total were the highest in NCAA scoring, leading to Gaudette winning the Hobey Baker Award as the Nation’s Top Player.

Then Gaudette turned pro. He only played 14 games in the AHL his first season. At the NHL level, he scored 12 points in 56 games. He jumped up to 33 points in 59 games the next season. Year three is where his journey took a wrong turn. He scored just 7 points in 33 games with the Canucks. They traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks where he would play just 15 games over two seasons. It was early in that second season when the Ottawa Senators claimed him off waivers.

First Stint With the Senators

To be honest, his 50 games with the Senators back in 2021-22 were very forgettable. He scored just four goals and 12 points. It wasn’t even a debate whether the Senators should bring him back or not. He fit in with a few other forgotten Senators from that season, like Dylan Gambrell and Zach Sanford.

I would imagine that had to be a tough point in Gaudette’s career. Having bounced around to three teams in two seasons and not finding his groove with any of them, the high expectations after winning the Hobey Baker were completely gone. Gaudette was now entering journeyman status, and not even at the NHL level anymore.

AHL Success

Adam Gaudette made the most of his time in the AHL. Over two seasons split between two teams, he scored 71 goals and 122 points in 132 games. Last season, he led the AHL in goals with 44. The way I see it, there were two options for Gaudette as he tried to make his way back to the NHL. Option one was to try to round out his game defensively and physically. This would open up more opportunities as a depth forward, seeing as so many teams want to build a physical bottom six with players that can kill penalties and be relied on in their own zone. Easier said than done, obviously. Option two was to regain his confidence offensively, showing his offensive skills to be too strong to overlook. It seems as though he chose option two.

This Season with the Senators

It was his goal scoring in the preseason that earned Gaudette the chance to start the regular season in the NHL (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

When Gaudette signed a two-way contract with the Senators in the summer, it seemed like the intention was for Gaudette to be a goal scorer down Belleville. To his credit, though, he had a great preseason, scoring four goals and five points in five games. From there, the games began. Gaudette was put through waivers before the start of the season. He went unclaimed and was called back up the next day. Through the first six games for the Senators, he was a healthy scratch once, and in the other five games he scored no goals and just one assist. He was hardly receiving any power play minutes, and was averaging just 8:32 of ice-time per game.

Gaudette Seizing His Chance

Then came the moment of opportunity for Gaudette. David Perron and Shane Pinto both missing time toward the end of October gave him a chance for more minutes, including a spot on the Senators second power play. He scored two goals in that first game of Pinto’s injury, one coming with the man advantage. This was the start of a five game stretch that saw him score six goals. He has since added five more goals, giving him 11, which is tied with Brady Tkachuk for the most on the team. Three of his goals have come on the power play. His two goals in the last game came while being elevated to the top line with Stutzle and Tkachuk.

In his last 16 games, he has averaged 11:02 of ice-time per game, with 1:50 of that coming on the power play. During that time he’s tied for fourth in the league with his 11 goals. Who knows what would’ve happened if he had a few more quiet games; he very well could’ve ended up back in Belleville. Instead, he remained on the Senators second power play unit, even as the likes of Pinto and Perron returned. He’s now in the best spot of his entire career, getting a chance to play with two great players.

What Stands out About Adam Gaudette

Here’s what I like about Gaudette’s game. First of all, he loves to score goals. It’s reminiscent of Mark Stone, seeing how fired up he gets when he’s able to score. Next, his shot and hand eye coordination really stand out. His wrist shot comes off heavy, as does his snapshot. He also knows to head right to the front of the net, which is where he’s deflected a few of his goals, and where he’s cleaned up the garbage a few times, too.

Adam Gaudette spent two seasons in the AHL betting on his own offensive abilities. He’s not used in key defensive spots, he’s not killing penalties. He received a better offensive opportunity in the early going this season, and he’s taken full advantage of it. Is he likely to score on 35% of his shots all season? Of course not. But seeing a guy force his way into a bigger role, and put up such incredible numbers through the first quarter of the season earns him some love, and a full article dedicated to his tremendous start.