Nathan Gaucher, the “Western style” Rampart who spit on recruiters

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A player playing at 200 feet: this expression has been used quite a bit in hockey to describe an attacker capable not only of scoring goals but also of performing defensive missions. Mind you, it’s his versatility, Nathan Gaucher says, that could make him the first Remparts player selected in the first round of the NHL draft in a decade.

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My whole game is what I’m trying to show this year. For a player like me, it’s not just the points that countlaunched the 18-year-old center near the ice of the Videotron Center.

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At 1m91 (6’3 ’’) and 94 kg (207 lbs), in addition to having great skating, Gaucher is an athlete he doesn’t often see on the Courteau circuit. Someone says I got the western style, admits, smirking, the main interested party. But with 26 goals on the clock this season, no one would call him a defensive striker.

Nathan Gaucher in a game against the Voltigeurs.

Ever since the Remparts made him their first-round pick in 2019, Patrick Roy and his assistants have not hesitated to sing the praises of Montrealer, in private and in public. He is a man who is very effective in his shorthanded zone but also develops offense. He is a power forward who affects a game in many different waysdescribes assistant coach Benoit Desrosiers.

The first since Grigorenko?

Clearly, the National Hockey League scouts agree. Midway through the season, Nathan Gaucher ranked 16th among North American’s top prospects on the NHL Central Scouting list, which, on paper, puts him in good standing to be the first Remparts product to be drafted. in the first round in the NHL since Mikhail Grigorenko in 2012.

Gaucher was in the Canadian Hockey League’s top game prospect last week at Kitchener. This is extraordinary. I found myself with other players from QMJHL, from Gatineau, on my team. This is an opportunity to compare yourself a little bit. A battle like this, you’ll see all the talent there in Canadarecounted one who saw the back of the net during the meeting in addition to distributing many beautiful shots to the shoulder.

The four players talk on the edge of the tape.

Surrounded by three Olympiques players, Antonin Verreault, Noah Warren and Tristan Luneau, in Kitchener, the Remparts forward immediately found them as opponents over the weekend in a doubleheader between Quebec and Gatineau.

From teammate to Olympiques executioner

And Nathan Gaucher performed as the heroes on Friday night. Using his speed to surpass the pair of defenders formed by Luneau and Evgenii Kashnikov, Gaucher broke the tie 2-2 with five seconds left in the game, sending thousands of spectators to the Videotron Center.

This is one of my big goals at Remparts. With the fans and everything, electrifying.

A quote from Nathan Gaucher

Beyond the magnitude of the moment, the victory was particularly important for the Remparts who, with 14 games to play this season, are just one point behind the Charlottetown Islanders for first place in the QMJHL.

Eyes on the championship

The Remparts who have experienced real change over the past three years, Gaucher is one of the players on the team with the most seniority. As a result, he values ​​collective successes and the atmosphere we haven’t seen in years at the Videotron Center.

I came to Remparts for a little reconstruction. Wins are a bit less easy. I’ve always wanted to win here in Quebec and it’s nice to have this opportunityhe pointed out.

In a draft year where pressure was high for young players in his position, Gaucher said he felt buriedthis season, with the collective goal of winning the President’s Cup.

We have a great team, so it’s easier not to think about my personal season and focus on getting the top spot. But both personally and for the team, it will help if I play my best hockey at the end of the season and in the playoffs.

Source: Radio-Canada

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