Johnny Gaudreau has been terrorizing NHL netminders and defensemen all season. His play making ability is up there with the likes of Connor McDavid and Mitch Marner. The Flames are an absolute wagon this year and “Johnny Ham and Cheese” is one of the big reasons why.
Gaudreau has 73 points (29 goals and 44 assists) as we sit at the All-Star break, which is good enough to be tied with division-rival Connor McDavid for third place.
Boston College
Before he was finding new ways to help goalies collect unemployment benefits, he was a superstar at Boston College. He won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014, affirming him as college hockey’s most outstanding player.
The Hobey Baker is just one of Gaudreau’s awards from his college days. He was the MVP of both the Beanpot and Hockey East Tournaments as a freshman, and would help BC win the national title…Notta-big-deaaaaal.
His sophomore season he collected more hardware, including a gold medal in the World Junior Championships. With the Olympics and the NHL separated for the time being, the WJC takes the cake as my favorite tournament and most important international setup. Johnny Hockey bringing it home for the U.S. is one of his greatest accomplishments.
Gaudreau dominated during his junior season and won the Hobey Baker during that year. He scored an eye-popping 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in just 40 games. Absolutely ridiculous. He remained in school for the chance to play with his little brother Matthew. Did I mention he was the Hockey East Player of the Year for the second season in a row?
The BC legend is undersized, but he’s proven that in today’s NHL, it’s more important to be that skilled, speedy forward than it is to be a goon. He’s going to be the first in a long line of players that might have been too small ten years ago, but are studs now. He’s going play in this league and be a force for a long time.