Gaudreau saw time with the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL and Indy Fuel of the ECHL in his professional hockey rookie season. His numbers in the ECHL were decent- 21-16-6 and a 2.46 GAA and .902 save percentage over 43 games. This sat him inside the top 20 by GAA and top 50 in save percentage. He is currently without an NHL contract, and will ply his trade in the AHL again this coming season. At 22, he still has plenty of runway ahead of him and could be an NHL option as a backup at some point, but at present, there’s better fantasy stashes out there.

Gaudreau opted not to sign with the Sharks and re-entered the 2023 NHL draft. Unfortunately he was not drafted as is currently a UFA.

Gaudreau remains one of the better goaltending prospects on the planet and took a nice development step forward after missing all of last season due to the pandemic. While he is still far away from NHL games, he has the potential to be the Sharks starting goalie of the future. Look for him to continue his strong play in the OHL and take a stab at the starting goaltender position for Canada’s World Junior team in December.

Gaudreau was selected in the third round, 81st overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Gaudreau missed out on a regular season as the OHL never got going, but he made up for lost time with a strong performance at the U18 World Championships. His 2.20 goals against average and .919 save percentage through five games helped lead Canada to a gold medal and earned him Top Goaltender honors for the tournament.

Gaudreau is an athletic goalie with great quickness in his movements. He is a strong skater for the position and has the ability to react in short order to make desperation saves. There is a fine line between being athletic and being overactive in the crease, however, and Gaudreau is still working to find that balance. He manages his angles well but can sometimes be too aggressive, leaving him vulnerable to back door plays. Goaltenders can be difficult to get a read on at the best of times, and it is only made more challenging by the fact that Gaudreau’s season consisted of five games at the U18s, but the potential he has displayed over a small sample size will make him an enticing prospect early on the second day of the draft.