2023 NHL DRAFT CLASS - ETHAN GAUTHIER

With the 2023 NHL Draft coming up next week, we're profiling some of the players that may be of interest to the Flames when they make their selection at 16th overall. In this edition, we take a closer look at forward Ethan Gauthier of the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Height: 6'0" Weight: 183 lbs.
Position: Right Wing
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
Final Ranking: 16th (North American Skaters)

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Born in the winter of '05, he never did see his father up close in the Flaming C.

But he's heard enough stories and through the magic of YouTube, is no stranger to the 'impact' the Gauthier name carries in Calgary.

A chip off the old block?

Ethan Gauthier has never been prouder to say so.

"Watching his videos - even when I was younger - I always wanted to use that physicality like he did," Gauthier said. "I've always been associated with my dad and in a way, I've always wanted to go out and do my own thing. Mark my own path. But if there was one thing I wanted to take from his (playing days), it's that.

"Honestly, it's pretty cool that I could pick that up from him."

Sadly, Ethan is unable to research how many hits Denis had in Flames colours. League stats weren't as rigorous back then, so only his 384 games, 13 goals and 45 helpers are officially marked down in the record books. Just imagine the sum with modern-day stat-tracking. The sheer volume of them, combined with their punishing, reverberating impacts on the Richter Scale.

It's not hard to be inspired by style and swag like that.

Gauthier, who will enter his third season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix later this fall, is very much his own player, though.

For starters, he's a forward. He clocks in at six-feet, 183, and is coming off a breakout year that saw him record 69 points (30G, 39A) in 66 regular-season games, before adding another 11 points (4G, 7A) in as many playoff dates.

But what makes him special - and why scouts continually draw parallels to the elder Gauthier - is that Ethan has as much bite as Denis ever did in his prime. Draft guru Corey Pronman went as far to say that Gauthier can be a "*nasty*" player to play against, "which you love to see from a smaller player."

Hard to argue.

Gauthier not only uses that ability to punish like his dad did, but to battle - using his powers to drive hard to the net, create chaos, and generate chances for himself and his linemates.

"I have three of four players that really look up to and try to model my game after," Gauthier said. "Obviously, the Tkachuk brothers. I really like them. I love their competitiveness and how they use their physicality to make plays offensively. And then, even smaller guy like Yanni Gourde is a great example of how I try to play. A small, gritty player that's good on the forecheck, good around the net and creates energy for his team.

"This year, I made the switch from centre to wing and I think that really fit well with my style. At first, it took a little while to get used to with some of the assignments defensively, but the more I played, the more comfortable I got.

"My game as a winger, I think I can be more physical. I'm able finish hits and be good on the forecheck and stuff like that.

"I think a big part of it, though, is that I've been able to learn different things playing in different spots. I like to learn all the positions and how to be an effective player all through the lineup, which I think I was able to do last year."

It's a mature look for a player carving it up in a league known for high-flying offence. He might be the Q's highest-ranked skater, but Gauthier is already picturing where he might fit into a pro lineup in the very near future.

"For me, it's never really been about points," he said, acknowledging that side of his game took a big step this year, anyway. "For me, it's about working on my identity and developing my game for the way I want to play in the NHL.

"I want to be the most complete player I can be."

With less than a week until the NHL Draft, Gauthier is busy preparing himself for the big day. He'll have approximately 40 family and friends alongside in Nashville, ready to celebrate a lifelong accomplishment.

And the beginning of a new chapter.

"It's going to be awesome. Family, friends - everyone's going to be there," Gauthier beamed.

"I can't wait."