Nikita Nesterenko had woke up from a day nap on Monday when he acquired a cellphone notification. Nesterenko, a former Boston School ahead now enjoying for the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls, noticed the identify of former faculty teammate Cutter Gauthier pop up in a publish despatched out by the Anaheim Geese.
“Initially, I felt like they had been simply congratulating him on the world juniors or one thing,” Nesterenko mentioned. “One thing bizarre. Possibly some form of connection. After which I noticed they acquired him. I used to be like, ‘Wow, that’s loopy.’”
The Geese had traded Jamie Drysdale, a defenseman they drafted with the No. 6 choose in 2020, and a 2025 second-round choose for Gauthier, the No. 5 choose in 2022. The deal despatched shockwaves all through the hockey world, leaving the Philadelphia Flyers disillusioned and enraging giant swaths of their passionate fan base.
A near-sellout crowd at Wells Fargo Heart embraced the 21-year-old Drysdale this week in his spectacular Flyers debut. However, Gauthier emerged on Wednesday in two interviews to debate the commerce, although he didn’t present particular solutions about how issues broke down with the Flyers. Gauthier mentioned he acquired demise threats by way of social media after reviews emerged that he didn’t wish to play for Philadelphia.
So, who’s Gauthier? Is the 19-year-old prospect being unfairly maligned for wanting a say in his future? And are his abilities adequate to justify all this controversy? Some individuals who have hung out with him, and have watched him carefully, imagine he’s not getting honest therapy in some circles.
“He’s acquired a great persona,” Nesterenko mentioned. “He’s not afraid to talk his thoughts. Persons are seeing that.
“Clearly, the Flyers’ fan base and group goes to be somewhat salty and pissed off that they didn’t get such a star participant. Instantly, whenever you’re form of pissed off, your first intuition is to trash the child and say that he’s entitled and he doesn’t wish to be there. He’s an incredible child.
“He made the choice for himself the place he thinks he’s going to slot in higher. Have a greater improvement for his profession and the longer term. The truth that persons are pointing fingers saying he’s entitled and all these things, it’s simply loopy to me as a result of he was by no means like that at school. He simply needs what’s finest for the staff. Only a nice participant and nice child off the ice.”
Craig Button, a TSN analyst and a former NHL government, doesn’t like how the Flyers reacted within the commerce’s aftermath, with pointed feedback from staff president Keith Jones and chairman CEO Dan Hilferty, who mentioned on a Flyers-themed podcast: “It’s gonna be a tough experience right here and he earned it. We’re Philadelphians and we would like individuals who wish to be right here with us.”
To Button, the Flyers had some complicity in soiling Gauthier’s make-up.
“I’ve been round Cutter for various years,” he mentioned. “I feel Cutter is an elite participant. I don’t know what occurred. Does it actually matter? The Philadelphia Flyers had been in a position to make a commerce. What amazes me is that they had been going to guard a child by not saying something till they traded him. Then they began a smear marketing campaign.
“It’s a bunch of B.S. so far as I’m involved. … On the finish of it, take the excessive street. I don’t know if Cutter will ever have a touch upon it or if he ever must touch upon it. Backside line is, I acquired on a regular basis on the planet for Cutter Gauthier. The Philadelphia Flyers acknowledged that he wasn’t going to play there, and so they went and made a commerce. Have a good time what you simply did. You don’t need to smear the child.
“It’s humorous. I didn’t see anyone within the Philadelphia Flyers group speaking about Eric Lindros selecting the place he wished to go. A bunch of rubbish is what I feel it’s.”
Nesterenko performed 9 video games with the Geese final season after ending his BC profession and is working to get again to Anaheim. He’s hoping to be teammates with Gauthier once more and feels that, in Gauthier, the Geese could have a participant who might be identified for way more than rejecting the staff that drafted him.
“When he involves Anaheim, he’s going to be nice,” Nesterenko mentioned. “He’s tremendous aggressive. He needs to win. That’s what we’re striving for. I’ve acquired nothing however good issues to say about him, actually.”
The primary response of Boston School affiliate head coach Brendan Buckley, when he noticed the response of others to the commerce, was to think about Gauthier, who he knew had loads happening, past the commerce. The Eagles workers had given their six members of Crew USA’s gold medal-winning world juniors squad a while off earlier than returning to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to rejoin the staff and restart their collegiate seasons. Some had returned to campus on Jan. 8. Others had been nonetheless making their approach again on Tuesday.
Cutter Gauthier has 29 targets in his 49 video games with Boston School. (Michael Miller / ISI Pictures/ Getty Photographs)
For his half, Buckley has “nothing however nice issues to say about him and what he has carried out for our program during the last two years.”
“He has been an incredible teammate, an incredible man to teach, he’s aggressive in observe, he pushes himself, he needs to get higher, he needs the staff to do properly,” Buckley mentioned. “Final 12 months, we weren’t the place we in all probability wished to be, after which we had a pleasant class are available with some good expertise and he helped them out and helped get them on top of things.”
He is aware of the Geese are getting a great participant, too.
“The very first thing that involves thoughts with Cutter is an elite launch and shot,” Buckley mentioned. “He can rating from everywhere in the ice and it will get off of his stick shortly. I feel it surprises goalies, how shortly the puck can get to them. That semifinal objective on the facility play on the world juniors was an incredible instance of how he can simply rip a puck and alter a sport. ”
Buckley mentioned Gauthier has additionally labored arduous to spherical out his sport and put together for the NHL during the last two seasons.
“He’s only a extra mature participant now and I feel that simply comes with being somewhat bit older and bodily maturing, after which additionally enjoying in high-compete video games, which he has at all times carried out the final two years for us,” Buckley mentioned. “He has carried out a extremely good job. He works arduous and he’s a enjoyable man to teach as a result of he needs to get higher each single day.”
Three years in the past, when Gauthier was set to affix USA Hockey’s nationwide program, Nick Fohr, one of many coaches for the 2004 age group, remembers there being “loads mentioned about him.”
There weren’t specifics, however he remembers there being “a little bit of a unfavorable connotation from a standpoint of ‘he could be arduous to take care of.’”
And so, naturally, he was somewhat eager about how Gauthier was going to be of their two years along with the staff.
In the long run, although, “the reality couldn’t have been farther from that,” in line with Fohr.
“Truthfully, all of these items that was being mentioned, none of it was true. None of it. He was superior, and he was an incredible teammate. He labored his tail off, he was participating, he had an incredible relationships with everyone, workers included. He was nice. He did all the things we requested him to do and he even wished extra.”
Gauthier was billed as one of many stars in his age group from the very begin. “Everyone was speaking about Cutter Gauthier,” Fohr mentioned. However whereas he’d end as that man — a first-liner for the ’04 staff — and would develop into the No. 5 choose, that’s not the place Fohr and USA’s workers began him.
That included enjoying on the second power-play unit throughout his time on the program as a result of he performed the identical spot as an even bigger star, Logan Cooley. “It didn’t deter him from going about his enterprise and doing his work and being good with it,” in line with Fohr.
“It was a brilliant proficient staff and he wasn’t performed because the spotlight man. Logan Cooley was the highlighted participant within the group. And he in all probability deserved to be on that prime unit at instances however he wasn’t. So he wasn’t handed all the things, he wasn’t given all the things, it wasn’t all about Cutter Gauthier. And he was superior,” Fohr mentioned.
“It wasn’t simple for him right here and typically in case you’re the man whenever you are available and also you keep the man for 2 years like Cooley was, it’s simple for these guys, they by no means actually face any adversity or have moments the place they get pissed off and all of a sudden their true colours come out. And that wasn’t the case for Cutter. He needed to work for the issues he acquired and it wasn’t at all times simple for him. And by the top of it he’s on that line with (Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud) and issues are actually, actually good. I feel it simply exhibits his character, and the way he labored, and his compete degree.”
That hasn’t modified in Fohr’s time with Gauthier since he left this system, both. He coached him on the 2023 world juniors. Earlier than the 2024 world juniors, when Gauthier was in Plymouth for choice camp, he made time to skate and observe with Fohr’s present U18 staff.
“He was superior with my present gamers, and there’s no ‘I’m higher than anyone else’ kind of perspective to him. He’s only a humble child that simply goes about his enterprise and appreciates the issues he will get,” Fohr mentioned.
This week, as Fohr watched how all of this performed out, he was reminded of gamers like Jimmy Vesey and Adam Fox, who additionally determined to not play for the groups that drafted them. On draft day, he remembers seeing Gauthier and his household on the resort and them being “excited” in regards to the Flyers.
“Issues could have modified. … It occurs much more than folks notice. This simply occurred to be at an enormous second with the world juniors and him being a excessive profile man. It doesn’t make him a nasty particular person by any means,” Fohr mentioned.
“They’re youngsters. They’re nonetheless youngsters.”
Gauthier gained’t play his first NHL sport till he finishes his sophomore season with the Eagles, which could possibly be a memorable one on condition that they’re ranked No. 1 within the nation. It may include the Geese in April, as he confirmed that he intends to signal an entry-level contract with them. And there might be nice anticipation for the ahead, who can play middle or on the wing and is, Button fervently believes, a “multi-dimensional risk” within the mould of Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen as an equally harmful shooter and set-up man.
“We take a look at Cutter and assume what an incredible shot and what an incredible objective scorer he’s,” Button mentioned. “He’s additionally a hell of a playmaker. And I feel that’s what retains opponents off stability whenever you’re enjoying in opposition to Cutter. He can beat you with a play, he can beat you with a shot. And he’s massive. He can skate. He’s acquired confidence in his sport.”
Button calls Gauthier “an elite, elite shooter” with pinpoint accuracy. That has helped him develop into BC’s prime objective scorer over his two seasons, racking up 29 in his first 49 video games with the Eagles. He had solely two in america’ march to their sixth world juniors gold medal however had 10 assists to tie Czechia’s Jiri Kulich, a Sabres prospect, for the match scoring title.
Nesterenko performed final season with Gauthier at BC and remembers him as a quiet child at first that began to open up as he discovered his footing in NCAA competitors. The 2 would flourish as linemates and whereas the Eagles had a subpar 14-16-6 file, Gauthier led them in targets (16) and factors (37) as a freshman.
“On the ice, he’s a gifted scorer,” mentioned Nesterenko, who performed three seasons at BC and signed with Anaheim after a commerce with the Wild. “It’s not simple at this degree to attain a objective, so any time you possibly can safe a man like that with that scoring contact, it’s an enormous plus. Off the ice, he’s an incredible child. He means properly. He’s acquired an incredible household. He was form of shy coming into faculty. Was very to himself. Clearly, numerous guys are shy after they are available. New staff, new environment. As soon as he form of acquired to know all the fellows – and I form of introduced him beneath my wing, educating him a pair issues – he acquired adjusted actually fast.
“We had numerous enjoyable. We didn’t have the very best staff by way of end result. Clearly, they’re doing approach higher this 12 months. However he was an enormous a part of our staff. We had numerous enjoyable. He’s an incredible child.”
(Photograph of Cutter Gauthier: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Photographs)