Nearly 30 years ago, goaltender Sean Gauthier was Kris Draper’s teammate when Draper was traded for a dollar to the Detroit Red Wings from the Winnipeg Jets on June 30, 1993.
Now, with the 2022 NHL Draft less than a month away on July 7-8, Gauthier’s son could be selected by Draper, the four-time Stanley Cup champion who is now the Red Wings’ director of amateur scouting.
Cutter Gauthier, 18, is one of the fastest-rising forwards in the draft, the third-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting and a possible solution to the Red Wings’ lack of size up front when they pick eighth overall.
Gauthier (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) had 34 goals and 31 assists in 54 games primarily as a left winger with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Plymouth but he’s projected as a two-way center in the mold of Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Jets.
“I played left wing most of this season and I felt pretty comfortable making plays off the wall and playing a good defensive game,” Gauthier said. “I’ve also played at center where I can control the pace of play on the offensive and defensive sides of the puck and help contribute.”
USA Hockey’s Nick Fohr, the new U17 head coach and one of Gauthier’s assistant coaches the past two years, said Gauthier will wind up transitioning to the middle once he gains the trust of his NHL coach.
“He’s a prototypical pro hockey player who checks a lot of boxes,” Fohr said. “He’s big, he’s strong with really good speed, a great shot and he sees the ice really well. It makes sense he’ll end up at center.”
Gauthier’s climb to the top of draft-eligible NHL prospects began with his family’s decision to move to Michigan from Arizona in 2014.
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After a 10-year professional career in the minors — including two years with Draper on the Jets’ AHL team in Moncton, New Brunswick, one game in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks in the 1998-1999 season (two saves, no goals in relief of former Michigan goalie Steve Shields), four years in Sweden and one year in Germany — Gauthier settled in Scottsdale where his son grew up with Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and developed his skills with Phoenix Coyotes power skating coach Mark Ciaccio.
“Mark said to me, ‘You know you’re going to have to leave Arizona, right?'” Sean Gauthier said. “I thought he was kidding. He said Cutter had to learn how to play at both ends of the ice and we were better off to go to one of the three M’s: Michigan, Minnesota or Massachusetts.
“It’s the law of larger numbers. We went to Detroit with Honeybaked under the guidance of Mike Hamilton and Kevin Hatcher. They taught those kids more than what I learned in my first two years of pro hockey.”
Cutter Gauthier played three years with Honeybaked and Compuware and competed against Little Caesars teams coached by Draper. He’ll attend Boston College this fall after two years in USA Hockey’s system.
“You don’t really know what’s best for you and your development at that age,” the younger Gauthier said. “In Arizona, you’re the best player on the ice and it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. When I moved to Michigan, I played against players who were so much better than me. It prepared me physically and mentally in all the aspects you need in the game at a young age.”
When Sean Gauthier was 15, he moved more than four hours away to the Toronto area from the northern Ontario mining city of Sudbury so he could play with and against future NHLers like Wayne Primeau, Mike Ricci and Draper, who were all teammates on Ontario’s U17 team.
“My wife (Kim) was beside herself when I told her about making that move to Toronto,” Gauthier said. “Kim said, ‘What do you mean you left at 15?’ She said we weren’t going to be that family. If one goes, we all go and we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Gauthier said it was also important that Cutter spend time with his older brother Keagan, 24, and younger sisters Kennedy, 17, and Kingston, 9. (They named their youngest daughter Kingston after he played for the Kingston Frontenacs and still has the distinction of playing in the final OHL game at Maple Leaf Gardens against the Toronto Marlies in 1989 and the last game at Cobo Hall against the Detroit Ambassadors in 1990.)
The family now lives in Northville, about 10 minutes from USA Hockey Arena and were in attendance for all of Cutter’s games at USA Hockey Arena.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my parents making that sacrifice,” Cutter Gauthier said. “They changed their lives for all of us, moving from Arizona to Michigan and my sisters and brother have been there every step of the way. Making the NHL isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would do it, right?
“My dad taught me about work ethic outside the rink. What are you doing better than other players to get to the next level? Are you eating right? Are you sleeping right? Are you doing all the little things that when the opportunity comes, you can take full advantage? I’ve done that really well and plan on keep doing that.”
As for Cutter’s unique first name, Sean said they got help from Kim’s mother when they were living in Sweden and came up with a list of three names: Crosby, Haden and Cutter.
“They found my name in a Swedish cookbook,” Cutter said. “My mom was in the hospital and they were looking for new recipes. They found Cutter and it really stuck with them. I like it. It’s unique and pretty cool. You don’t hear it often.”
The odds of the Red Wings calling Cutter’s name when they step up to the podium at the NHL Draft in Montreal aren’t good as of now.
Barring a trade, Gauthier has been projected to be selected earlier in the first round along with Kingston’s Shane Wright, NTDP teammate Logan Cooley, Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec, and Czechia’s David Jiricek.
Still, general manager Steve Yzerman and Draper interviewed Gauthier at last week’s NHL combine in Buffalo. Gauthier finished among the top 10 in five fitness tests, including first overall among 96 players in the 30-second bike sprint. His rating of 18.3 was second all-time behind Matthews’ record of 18.2.
“It would be awesome to be drafted by the Red Wings,” Gauthier said. “Michigan is my second home and I would love to play there. They’re becoming a contender and it’s been pretty cool going down to their games at Little Caesars Arena. We’ll have to see on draft day.”
Sean Gauthier said it’s been “pretty special” watching his relationship with Draper come full circle. Drafted by the same organization as teenagers (Draper was a third-round pick in 1989, Gauthier was selected in the ninth round in 1991), they’ve stayed in touch over the years talking about their families and “now all of a sudden he’s interviewing my son.”
“Winnipeg wasn’t the strongest organization back then,” Gauthier said. “We always made fun of the fact that he couldn’t play for one of the worst teams but he could play for one of the best teams.
“I admire his perseverance. He always worked hard, a first-class individual on and off the ice. Because of that passion, it allowed him to play and be part of that hockey world and that Red Wings dynasty.”
mfalkner@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @falkner
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