Julien Gauthier

Julien Gauthier (born October 15, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Gauthier was selected 21st overall by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL entry draft. He has previously played in the NHL for the Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and New York Islanders.

Playing career

Amateur Gauthier was selected by Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2013 QMJHL entry draft. He played with Val-d'Or from the 2013–14 season to the 2016–17 season. In his first season with Val-d'Or in 2013–14, Gauthier recorded nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 62 games. The Foreurs advanced to the league championship, beating the Baie Comeau Drakkar to take the President's Cup. In 24 playoff games, Gauthier recorded seven assists.

He returned to Val-d'Or for the 2014–15 season, Gauthier reached new scoring highs, recording 38 goals and 73 points in 68 games. In 17 playoffs games, Gauthier added five goals and ten points. In six playoff games, he tallied two goals and five points. He played with future NHL teammates Thomas Chabot and Mathieu Joseph with the Sea Dogs. In 20 games with the Sea Dogs, he recorded ten goals and 24 points. They qualified for the 2017 Memorial Cup as league champions. They advanced to the semifinal after eliminating the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, but were knocked out by the OHL's Erie Otters.

Professional Carolina Hurricanes Gauthier was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2016 NHL entry draft. On July 9, 2016, Gauthier was signed to his first NHL deal, agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes. He attended Carolina's training camp prior to the 2017–18 season and was assigned to the Charlotte Checkers, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Hurricanes. In 65 games with Charlotte, he recorded 16 goals and 25 points.

He began the 2019–20 season with Charlotte, but he was recalled on October 9, 2019 by Carolina. He made his NHL debut on October 11 in a 5–2 victory over the New York Islanders. After appearing in two games, he was returned to Charlotte. He was recalled again in December He recorded his first NHL point assisting on Brock McGinn's goal in a 4–0 victory over the Calgary Flames in his fifth game. He was returned to Charlotte where he 26 tallied goals and 37 points in 44 games. He made his Rangers debut on February 19 in a 6–3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He marked his first point with New York on February 27 when he assisted on Mika Zibanejad's second period goal in a 5–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. He made twelve appearances for the Rangers, marking two assists, before the season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in August, the Rangers faced the Hurricanes in the qualifying round. Gauthier made his NHL playoff debut on August 1 in Game 1 of the best-of-five-game series. The Hurricanes swept the Rangers in three games. Gauthier went scoreless in the series. On February 10, 2021, Gauthier scored his first career NHL goal against the Boston Bruins. He finished the season with two goals and eight points in 30 appearances.

He began the 2021–22 season with the Rangers. However, after the March trade deadline, he made only three appearances and did not play in any of the Rangers' playoff games. In 49 games with New York, he scored three goals and seven points. On October 26, 2022, Gauthier was recalled by the Rangers after making four appearances with Hartford, tallying two goals. The Rangers carried Gauthier as the team's extra forward, but he eventually usurped Ryan Reaves on the fourth line, playing alongside Sammy Blais and Ryan Carpenter. In his debut with the Senators he played on a line with Parker Kelly and Ridly Greig against the Boston Bruins on February 20. He scored his first goal with the Senators against Sam Montembeault on February 25 in a 5–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. In 17 games with Ottawa, he marked three goals and five points. Gauthier then signed a two-year, $1.575 million contract with the New York Islanders on July 5, 2023. He made his Islanders debut in the 2023–24 season against the Buffalo Sabres on October 21. He scored his first goal with the Islanders against Anthony Stolarz on December 2, in a 4–3 win over the Florida Panthers. He went unclaimed and was assigned to the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders. He finished the season with Bridgeport, making 17 appearances, scoring seven goals and ten points. He played in nine games, scoring three goals and eight points, before suffering an injury on November 24, 2024, that kept him out for the remainder of the season. He re-signed with the Islanders to a one-year, two-way contract on June 29, 2025. In 14 games with Bridgeport, he put up five goals and seven points.

St. Louis Blues On February 24, 2026, Gauthier was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Matt Luff. He was immediately assigned to St. Louis' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The team advanced to the Atlantic Division final, where they were eliminated by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Gauthier finished the playoffs with two goals in seven games.

International play

On December 1, 2015, Gauthier was invited to the Team Canada selection camp for the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships. He was the only draft-eligible player to end up participating in the tournament for Canada. However, the team finished sixth in the tournament.

Gauthier was again invited to Team Canada's selection camp for the 2017 World Junior Hockey Championships. He was one of five players from the 2016 team to be named to the 2017 team. He scored two goals, including the game winner, in a 5–3 win over the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Gauthier scored twice more, including the game winner, in a 5–2 win over Sweden. However, Canada was defeated by Team USA in the final to take the silver medal.

Personal life He is the nephew of former NHL player Denis Gauthier. His father and grandfather were bodybuilders who each at one point won the title of "Mr. Canada," while his grandmother was a member of the famous Rougeau Family of professional wrestlers.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours Award Year QMJHL President's Cup 2014, 2017