Johnny Gaudreau

Lore & Background

Gaudreau grew up in Carneys Point Township, New Jersey, and played little league baseball with future Boston Red Sox pitcher Mike Shawaryn. He participated in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Hershey, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in Iowa while playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL, where he was named USHL Rookie of the Year and helped win the Clark Cup. At Boston College, Gaudreau led the NCAA in scoring as a junior with 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in 40 games, tying Paul Kariya's Hockey East single-season scoring streak at 31 games. He was a two-time Hockey East Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2013 before winning the award in 2014. Gaudreau signed an entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames on the day he received the Hobey Baker Award and scored on his first NHL shot in his debut against the Vancouver Canucks. In his first full NHL season, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie team and was a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist. He won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the 2016–17 season. Gaudreau was noted for helping to grow opportunities for smaller hockey players despite his small stature. He and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver while cycling on August 29, 2024.

Reader's Guide

Johnny Gaudreau's significance lies in his exceptional skill as a smaller player who defied size expectations to become a seven-time NHL All-Star and a perennial offensive threat. Drafted 104th overall in 2011, he was the lightest and tied for the shortest player selected that year, yet he finished fourth in Hart Memorial Trophy voting twice. His collegiate career at Boston College was historic: he led the nation in points per game as a sophomore, then as a junior posted a 2.00 points-per-game average, the highest by any player since 2003. He won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 and immediately transitioned to the NHL, where he tied for the rookie scoring lead in 2014–15 and was a Calder Trophy finalist. Gaudreau's legacy includes his Lady Byng Memorial Trophy win in 2016–17, recognizing gentlemanly play, and his role in expanding opportunities for undersized hockey players. His death alongside his brother in a cycling accident in 2024 marked a tragic end to a career defined by overcoming physical limitations through elite hockey intelligence and creativity.

Did You Know?

• Gaudreau was the lightest player selected in the 2011 NHL entry draft, at 137 lb.
• He scored his first NHL hat-trick against Jonathan Quick on December 22, 2014.