[News] With the 104th overall pick, the Flames select LW John Gaudreau

[Calgary4LIfe]

Burke (and Hartley) probably would not have told him this after that mistake if Gaudreau wasn't just so impressive and conscientious about his defensive game. As good as Gaudreau has been offensively, he has been an absolute surprise defensively. I watched many of his games at BC, and thought he was a fairly sound defensive player there - though I thought Arnold was that solid defensive presence that did so much for that line. To see him not only be able to translate his defensive game to the NHL, but actually even improve on it (in my opinion anyways) was the biggest surprise of his game.

Mistakes happen to everyone - even 'big' mistakes that sometimes costs games. Gaudreau got the support from Burke and Hartley simply because everyone knows that making big defensive mistakes isn't part of his game that needs to be cleaned up. I think he gets more freedom to do what he does on the ice not because he is a skilled player and the Flames need him to create offence, but because he is such a well-rounded player that seems to really care about his whole game. That is something in common with the rest of the rookies on this team - Gaudreau, Granlund and Jooris. They may all make mistakes at times, but they all play a two-way game beyond their years and experience.

[IamNotKenKing]

He's 5th on the team in shots on goal, and 2nd among forwards. That surprised me.

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

As I read the story, I was waiting for the connection to Gaudreau, lol.

Me too, I was expecting Gaudreau to be behind him in line and say something humorous under his breath, like "She's elbow deep in wrapping paper, I say we go to the other counter".
I even had to re-read it a couple times to see what I missed.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

He's 5th on the team in shots on goal, and 2nd among forwards. That surprised me.

Wow I never would have guessed that based on what I've seen. The kid's so slippery I don't even notice when he shoots!

[GioforPM]

He gets quite a few close in shots on rebounds after he's made a pass to another guy(often too close to the goalie if you know what I mean).

He doesn't take a whole lot of long or mid-range shots. He should be aware of the option but I'm not eager for him to change his game much.

[flamesfever]

He's continually setting guys up for shots. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he and Bennett can do.

[lanny9]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

He's continually setting guys up for shots. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he and Bennett can do.

And Poirier! some crash and bang along with great skill all being set up by Johnny!

[polak]

Gaudreau has been the bright spot during this skid. I feel like his game hasn't regresseed at all. He is playing great.

It's so awesome to have a rookie that is a bonafide player who you know is only going to get better.

Johnny ""Whiz Kid" Hockey" Gaudreau

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

As good as Gaudreau has been offensively, he has been an absolute surprise defensively.

Good post. Isn't he 3rd in the league (the entire league, not just for rookies) in takeaways?

EDIT: he's 4th in the league. Byron is 8th.
http://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/st...atistics/2014/

Also the team as a whole is 3rd in takeaways, 1st in blocked shots. The more you know.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm...=realTimeStats

[GioforPM]

Though it would take away time from guys who need minutes, I'd like to see what he could do on the PK, where the defensive object is not to bang bodies - but to play well positionally and pressure the point. Maybe his reach prevents this.

ETA: you know if he gets his stick on the puck it's out of the zone, just like his passes find the right holes.

[polak]

Yeah I think his patience would be an asset on the PK. You know that if he gets the puck, he will make a great decision with it 95% of the time. That being said, if the other team keeps the puck down low and use their size he would become a complete non-factor which might not be good.

[TjRhythmic]

I don't think it would be a good idea at all. PK'ers are asked to stand in shooting lanes of some of the hardest shooters in the NHL and block shots.

And like Polak mentioned if the play goes down low and becomes a strength contest he's not going to be very effective.

Johnny is an offensive threat that is responsible defensively.. PK just wouldn't work IMO, last thing I'd want to see is Johnny getting in front of one timer from a player like Weber and being gone for an extended period of time.

[ForeverFlameFan]

The best part about Johnny is I guarantee we haven't seen him hit his prime. The only thing he really needs to work on is finding better shots.

[GioforPM]

Little guys like Byron play PK. Theo did as well. Arguably stronger, and maybe Johnny can't do it until he puts on muscle.

I don't think we worry about blocked shot injuries. Our best player blocks a ton.

[JiriHrdina]

Went to the game Friday night - and during one of the breaks they played a bunch of goals from the 90s - including a bunch from Sergei Makarov.
It occurs to me that this is the guy that Johnny reminds me most of - the size, elusiveness, puck handling and shot - all very Makarov-esque.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

The best part about Johnny is I guarantee we haven't seen him hit his prime.

Gutsy call to make 36 games into his career. Way to go out on a lim there and guarantee that

[FBI]

Limb

[ricosuave]

^ re: signature.

G-Man

[AcGold]

When Bennett and Poirier are on the team Gaudreau is going to just get better, right now he's our best forward in that he can generate chances better than anyone. Only problem he's so small he's easy to shutdown because they can double team him and not really have to worry about the other forwards that much, but when Bennett is on the ice with a decent right winger they won't be able to get out of position and cover Johnny as much.

Right now he's excelling while the other teams are bearing down on him hard, just imagine when he has just a little breathing room.

[Eb0la11]

My sole complaint of Gaudreau, who I think has been spectacular, is that he does try to put pucks between defenders legs a little too often. This is when he is both shooting or trying to pass. It often leads to turnovers or ricochets leaving the zone. He could purposely shoot wide a few more times for better bounces. It happens a lot.