Carolina Hurricanes‘ 1st round pick in the 2016 draft (#21 overall) 3rd year right wing Julien Gauthier(44) gets the nod for an NHL debut.
The very big 6’4″ 227 lbs. forward skated a conservative 13 shifts for 8:23 of ice time with 2 penalty minutes and went 100% in the face-off dot but got his feet went at the highest level in a 5-2 win.
He may stick for a bit too as one of the regular roster players has gone down with a long-term injury but will have to prove his game.
The twice 2014 and 2017 QMJHL Champion with Val-d’Or Foreurs and Saint John Sea Dogs was also a three time point-per-game producer.
He was sent down to start the new campaign after a strong training camp showing but got to work right away with the 2019 Calder Cup Champions Charlotte Checkers‘ team that he was a part of last season scoring 2 goals in 2 AHL games.
The still super young 21-year old, almost 22, is only on the 2nd year of his entry level deal and played as a rookie on a slide and is definitely building towards a permanent spot in the big league.