Adam Gaudette

Adam Gaudette (born October 3, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues. Gaudette played college ice hockey for the Northeastern Huskies of the NCAA, where he won the Hobey Baker Award, Hockey East Player of the Year, and was named to the AHCA East First-Team All-American. Selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Gaudette made his NHL debut with the team in 2018.

Early life Gaudette was born on October 3, 1996, in Taunton, Massachusetts, to Tara, an elementary school instructional coach, and Doug Gaudette, a firefighter. He came from an athletic family: his mother played softball for Taunton High School, once holding the single-season home run record, while his father's high school athletic career ended after a dirt bike accident shattered his patella. Gaudette played a number of sports, including lacrosse and baseball, but his favorite was ice hockey. There, he was coached by former National Hockey League (NHL) player Tony Amonte. Although he lost most of his first two high school ice hockey seasons to injuries, as a junior, Gaudette recorded 67 points in 27 games. Around this same time, he played minor ice hockey for the Boston Advantage of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League.

Playing career Amateur In the 2013–14 season, Gaudette scored 29 goals in 27 games at Thayer Academy. In 2014, he committed to playing for Northeastern University of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Skating as a freshman for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League, Gaudette scored 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 41 games. In the 2014–15 season, Gaudette moved to Northeastern to commence his college hockey career. In 41 games with the Northeastern Huskies, Gaudette recorded 12 goals and 30 points. The following season in 2015–16, Gaudette was promoted to the second line and the second power play unit after an injury to Kevin Roy. In his new position alongside Dylan Sikura, his scoring improved, marking 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games.

In 2017 he was called a "first-rate prospect," ranking first in NCAA power-play goals with 14 and third in points after 31 games and in the top 10 nationally. Pierre McGuire described him as "the steal of the 2015 draft." During the 2017–18 season Gaudette recorded career highs in goals and assists while leading the Huskies to their first Beanpot championship in 30 years. During the 66th Beanpot Final, Gaudette recorded a hat trick to help Northeastern beat Boston University 5–2. He earned the Most Outstanding Player for his efforts. He finished the 2017–18 season first in the NCAA with 60 points. At the end of the season, Gaudette won Hockey East Player of the Year and was awarded the Hockey East Scoring Champion title. He was also named to the First All-Star Team. He was also named an AHCA East First-Team All-American along with teammates Dylan Sikura and Jérémy Davies.

Professional Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks of the NHL selected Gaudette in the fifth round, 149th overall, of the 2015 NHL entry draft after acquiring the pick from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Raphael Diaz. Gaudette signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks on March 26, 2018, and made his NHL debut on March 29, in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. As the Canucks failed to make the post season, he only appeared in five games, going scoreless. However, his stint in the AHL did not last long as he was called up to the NHL on October 15 after playing in four games for the Comets, where he tallied two goals and two assists. On October 25, he earned his first career NHL point, assisting on a Darren Archibald goal, the only Canucks goal scored in a 4–1 loss at the Arizona Coyotes. He scored his first NHL goal on November 24, tallying the first Canucks goal in a 4–2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Despite being expected to spend most of the season developing in Utica, injuries to Canucks centers resulted in Gaudette appearing in 56 games for Vancouver. Gaudette ended his rookie season with five goals and seven assists, generally playing center on Vancouver's third line. After being recalled on October 27, Gaudette responded by scoring six goals and ten points in November, solidifying his spot in the lineup. When play resumed, Gaudette played in 10 of Vancouver 17 playoff games, going pointless. On October 19, 2020, the Canucks re-signed Gaudette to a one-year, $950,000 contract. In April 2021, the Canucks suffered a significant COVID-19 outbreak, with Gaudette among the diagnosed.

Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators On April 12, 2021, Gaudette was traded at the NHL trade deadline to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Matthew Highmore. He marked his first goal with Chicago in his next game with the team on April 29 in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. He played in seven games for the Blackhawks to close out the season, scoring one goal and four points.

After working on his diet in the offseason, he earned a spot on the Blackhawks roster out of training camp ahead of the 2021–22 season. He played in eight games with the Blackhawks, scoring one goal and two points. Gaudette was claimed by the Ottawa Senators the following day. He made his Senators debut on December 1 and scored his first goal with the team in a 6–2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. He played in 50 games for the Senators, scoring four goals and 12 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues As a free agent, after not being tendered a qualifying offer from the Senators, Gaudette was signed a one-year, $750,000 contract by the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 13, 2022. Gaudette cleared waivers and was assigned to the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, on October 13. On December 9, Gaudette was suspended for three games for an incident during a game with the Belleville Senators. He played in 40 games with the Marlies, scoring 20 goals and 34 points.

On February 17, 2023, the Maple Leafs traded Gaudette to the St. Louis Blues, along with prospect Mikhail Abramov and several draft picks as part of a three-team trade also involving the Minnesota Wild. The Maple Leafs acquired Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari in the trade. Gaudette attended the Blues 2023 training camp but failed to make the team. He was placed on waivers and after going unclaimed, was assigned to Springfield to start the 2023–24 season. He played in 67 games with Springfield, tallying 44 goals and 71 points. He made one more appearance, going scoreless with St. Louis before being returned to the AHL on January 30. He was named to the AHL's First All-Star Team at season's end, the first Thunderbird to be honored. He was also awarded the Willie Marshall Award as the league's leading goal scorer.

Second stint in Ottawa and San Jose Sharks On July 2, 2024, Gaudette signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. He began the 2024–25 season with Ottawa, but was briefly assigned to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, on October 15. He never played a game for Belleville, being immediately recalled on October 16. Gaudette experienced a resurgent NHL season with the Senators, playing in a career-high 81 games and scoring a career-high 19 goals and 26 points. The Senators qualified for the playoffs and faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round. He recorded his first NHL playoff goal in Game 2 to tie the game and send the game to overtime. He made his San Jose debut on opening night, October 9, in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He recorded his first goal for San Jose in a two-point effort in the following game on October 12 versus the Anaheim Ducks. Gaudette suffered an injury in a game versus the Minnesota Wild on October 26, returning to the lineup on November 5, playing alongside Philipp Kurashev and Alexander Wennberg on the Sharks' second line.

International play Gaudette was invited to play for Team USA at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. He recorded a three-point game, scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 3–2 victory over Sweden on May 21, 2022. The team finished fourth in the tournament, losing the bronze medal game to Czechia. Gaudette finished the tournament with six goals and eight points in ten games. He has been described as a center "known for his defensive prowess and his 200-foot game."

Personal life Gaudette and his wife married in June 2020. Gaudette has two brothers; youngest brother Cam plays for the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL, while Brady played NCAA DIII for the Norwich Cadets. During the NHL off-season, Gaudette runs an active Twitch channel, where he streams himself playing video games (mainly Call of Duty) and interacts with fans; he has stated that he enjoys doing this as an opportunity to "give fans some inside intel on what our [NHL players'] lives are like outside of hockey."

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2022 United States WC 4th 10 6 2 8 10Senior totals 10 6 2 8 10

Awards and honors Award Year Ref College Hockey East Player of the Year 2018 Hockey East Scoring champion 2018 Hockey East First All-Star team 2018 Hobey Baker Award 2018 AHCA East First-Team All-American 2018 AHL Willie Marshall Award 2024 First All-Star Team 2024