Taylor Gauthier is leaving the Prince George Cougars.
But just for one game.
The 17-year-old goalie has been invited to play in the 24th annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday, Jan. 24 in Red Deer, Alta.
Gauthier, listed by NHL Central Scouting as a B prospect for the June draft, is among 40 players from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League or Quebec Major Junior Hockey League who will play for either Team Cherry or Team Orr in the game.
He's one of six goalies picked for the game. Each will play one period.
"It's a huge accomplishment for him, obviously with what he's done in his short career he's opened up the eyes for people to see he's true prospect to be drafted and will move on in the future to play the big game," said Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk.
"There's something there that people are seeing. His commitment, his work ethic, his compete level is off the charts. We all forget he's only 17 and he's only going to get better the more he plays and the more maturity he gets."
The nationally-televised game in Red Deer coincides perfectly with the Cougars' road trip in Alberta that week. They'll play the Calgary the day after the Top Prospects Game, then travel to Red Deer and Edmonton to wrap up a three-game weekend the next two nights.
Gauthier has drawn the bulk of the work in net for the Cougars this season, playing in 24 of their 31 games so far. In 1,352 minutes of action he's made 645 saves for a .982 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against average. He sports a 7-12-1-1 record with one shutout, a 4-0 win at CN Centre over the Seattle Thunderbirds, Nov. 2 - the first of his WHL career.
The Cougars are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and Gauthier has been in net for all but one period of those three losses - two in Portland and one in Seattle. As the last line of defence, Gauthier has taken criticism lately from some Cougar observers who aren't convinced he deserves to play as much as he has been ahead of 18-year-old backup goalie Isaiah DiLaura.
"It''s tough because (Gauthier) is such a huge competitor," said Matvichuk. "The other night (in a 6-5 loss to Seattle) he wanted to stop a couple more. But the game is a matter of growing into who he's got to be and you have to go through these life experiences and ups and downs of being a starting goaltender. Some days you just don't have it."
In August, Gauthier played for Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton. He came into the gold-medal game 11 minutes in to replace Saskatoon Blades goalie Nolan Maier, with Canada trailing Sweden 2-0, and stopped all 16 shots he faced in a 6-2 victory.
Gauthier, the Cougars' 10th overall pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, is among several Cougars over the years selected to the Top Prospects Game. Other Cougars who played include: Eric Brewer and Jarrett Smith (1997), Blair Betts (1998), Dan Hamhuis (2001), Eric Hunter (2004), Nick Drazenovic (2005), Ty Wishart (2006), Brett Connolly (2010), Ty Edmonds (2014), Jansen Harkins (2015) and Nikita Popugaev (2017).
“The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game provides scouts and general managers the unique opportunity to evaluate talent competing in a best-on-best showcase,” said Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting director. “All 31 NHL clubs contributed to the roster selection and take great interest in seeing this event unfold and which players can elevate their game under the spotlight.”
The event was originally known as the CHL All-Star Challenge, from 1992-95, and it became the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in 1996.
In that inaugural 1992 game, Matvichuk, then a defenceman for the Saskatoon Blades, was named player of the game in a 5-4 win for Team West over Team East. Dean McAmmond of the Prince Albert Raiders scored the overtime winner.
"It was a fun game to play," said Matvichuk, who went on to play 14 seasons in the NHL with Minnesota/Dallas and New Jersey. "You get to know these guys so well. We did a lot of tours in the summer, too, and it started with this game.
The realism hits you that you've got a chance (to play in the NHL) because they're talking about you. It kind of gives a boost to your confidence. It was added pressure in Saskatoon, where I played (for the Blades), but it was fun."
Now three games into an 11-game roadtrip, the Cougars (11-17-1-2) are in Victoria to play the Royals Saturday night, then travel to Langley for a Sunday afternoon encounter with the Vancouver Giants.
