During the Calgary Flames training camp back in September, all eyes were on Johnny Gaudreau, the young, small and talented prospect out of Boston College. His hockey career was undoubtedly successful before reaching the NHL, as he won the Hobey Baker award as the nation's leading NCAA scorer and has had eye-opening stat lines for every team he's ever played for dating back to his days on Team Comcast. We all knew he was good at hockey, but the one question that lingered in training camp was whether or not he could play with the same dominance in the NHL?
Now, with the calendar turning to 2015, we are approaching the half-way point of the 2015 NHL season and his rookie year, and judging by his body of work thus far, Johnny 'Hockey', as he's known, has proven he's more than capable of playing in the NHL.
The 5'9" 150 pound Gaudreau clearly doesn't have the ideal build of an NHL player, however this has become a non-issue for the young forward. Through the Flames first 40 games, Gaudreau sits third in points on his team with 31, and has settled in nicely on a line with Jiri Hudler and Josh Jooris. His speed and puck handling are his best attributes, and with his his puck possession numbers steadily improving, Gaudreau has averaged nearly 17 minutes per game.
Gaudreau dropped to the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft particularly because of his size, but the Calgary Flames saw enough potential in him based off his skill alone. If he continues to post a similar stat line in the second half of this season, one can make the argument that picking him in the fourth round turned out to be an absolute steal for the Calgary Flames. Gaudreau is already a fan favorite, and after being named Rookie of the Month this past December he's slowly closing in on Filip Forsberg for the race to the Calder Trophy.
Gaudreau is sure to put on some size and bulk up as his career progresses, and who knows what he'll be capable of by then.
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