Gaudette’s success is a remarkable story of perseverance and dedication for a player in his second tour of duty in Ottawa. His NHL career seemed to be hanging by a thread last summer, even after he scored an astonishing 44 goals for Springfield in the AHL in 2023-24.
Offers were pouring in from European club teams who were eager to add Gaudette’s dangerous offensive skillset to their rosters. But while he contemplated overseas offers, Gaudette ultimately chose to pursue the NHL path one more time.
“I got a lot of calls about going to Europe. I told them – my agent and I are on the same page too – that I wasn’t going to give up on my dream yet,” says Gaudette.
Gaudette’s interview with Sens 360 took place in the lobby of the hotel where the Senators were staying in Los Angeles, during their recent trip to the American West Coast. In the city where the wildest dreams come true, it's clear that the American forward has no regrets.
A few months after completing that dream season - 44 goals in 67 games in Springfield, with the St. Louis Blues farm team - Gaudette is happy to be back in the top league in the world.
“I’m the type of guy, wherever I go, I’m going to put the same work ethic in to get better. I will put my head down and work to do the right things every day to become a better player. That is exactly what I did in the AHL,” says Gaudette. “Did I wanted to be in the AHL? No. Every player in the AHL wants to play in the NHL. But you are not going to get back to the NHL by moping around down there.”
“I knew that I would get back here if I just did the right things and worked my ass off. I’m a big believer in putting good in and getting good back. If you do the right things you are going to be rewarded. Not just in hockey. In life, too.”
Despite the efforts and all the goals, Gaudette received no guarantees last summer. No one was prepared to offer him a guaranteed position in the NHL for the 2024-25 season.
“I always had to work for everything anyways,” says Gaudette.
As an almost 28-year-old unrestricted free agent, he had to choose the right destination.
Ottawa quickly became an obvious choice, with Travis Green playing a role in the process. When Gaudette first broke into the NHL in 2018, Green was his head coach with the Vancouver Canucks.
“I think it was the opportunity with the lineup here,” says Gaudette. “Obviously Greener was a big factor too. He knew me. He knew the player I was. He knew the player I could be. I liked him as a coach a lot. I appreciated the way he coaches, the way he teaches guys and the way he helps guys.”
“I have to work for everything. I was never the most skilled. I was never the best skater. Greener rewards guys like that if they are doing the right things and if they are working hard. If he sees that you are doing the right things, he is going to reward you.”
“He's just an easy guy to play for,” adds Gaudette “He expects a lot from the group but he understands how hard to push you and when to push you. For young guys, he’s a great coach. He’s teaching out there, not screaming at you.”
Despite being happy with the coaching, Gaudette wasn't entirely satisfied when he left Vancouver. He still had a long way to go as a hockey player. Gaudette feels he's made significant strides in recent years.
“I told Greener on the phone when I was contemplating my options. I said to him I think that I’m the player now that you guys expected me back in Vancouver years ago. I was excited to show that I improved and worked on the things that I needed to work on,” says Gaudette.
Five months and counting after signing his contract, Gaudette has no regrets.
“Along with that is the familiar faces in the organization with the players, the staff,” says the player who spent 50 games with the Senators during the 2021-22 season. “My wife became really close friends with a lot of the spouses on this team three years ago. That was a big factor. She was excited to come back. We have lots of friends here. We knew the area. It’s on the East Coast. It’s close to home for us.”
“I’ve always been a home body. Being closer to home is important to me,” says Gaudette. “I get to see my family more. I get to see my wife’s family more. My wife and my sone get to go home when the team goes on road trip sinstead of staying home by themselves. It seems like Ottawa was a really good fit all around for me.”
A legacy of good values
The Gaudette family still lives in Massachusetts in the off-season. The Senators forward, who has one of the highest goal-scoring rates per 60 minutes played in the NHL so far this season, attributes much of his recent success to the people who raised him.
“I got those values from my parents. We never had lots of money growing up. My dad was a firefighter and a plumber. My mom was a school teacher. They put three boys in hockey. Those three boys played division 1 college hockey”, says Gaudette.
Adam, the eldest of the clan, took his university years very seriously indeed. In 2018, he left Northeastern's campus with the Hobey-Baker Award in his luggage. In the not-too-distant future, he could get another very valuable souvenir. He has never stopped studying. He's just a few university credits short of his undergraduate degree in communications.
“That’s just from them, putting their heads down, grinding, doing whatever they could to put their kids in the best spots. All my work ethic, I truly believe that I get that from my parents,” says Gaudette.
For the time being, Gaudette is raising a little boy, Micah, who has just celebrated his second birthday. He, too, loves Ottawa, especially when given the chance to watch the warm-up period from the penalty box at Canadian Tire Centre.
Micah was in attendance on Sunday. The father and son shared a nice little moment near the end of warm-up. It was caught by a TSN camera and later showed on TV when Gaudette participated in the walk off player interview at the first intermission.
