One player from each NHL team who should be on the NHL 18 cover
By David Rouben
Calgary Flames: Johnny Gaudreau
The Calgary Flames are a team with lots of great young talent, but in the end, you’ve got to go with the guy with a last name of Hockey. With every goal he scores, he puts to bed the notion that size matters in the NHL. He may only be 5’9”, but he kills you with his speed.
Looking back on the 2011 Draft class, there’s no way you can justify calling 103 players better than him. He was ranked 193rd in Central Scouting’s prospect rankings that year, so he decided to enter the league as a late bloomer by spending three years in college. He broke out in a big way at Boston College, especially in his last year when he put up 80 points in 40 games.
It translated to the NHL, as Gaudreau had 28 goals and 73 points in his rookie year. He followed that up with 30 goals and 78 points. He’s a special talent, and is already emerging as a leader on the Flames. He came into this season with enormous expectations after signing a 6-year deal with a $6.75 million AAV. So far, he has 10 points in his first 15 games. It’s just a shame that he can’t play defense and goalie as well, because if he did, the Flames would be a playoff team every year.
Gaudreau not only has the best nickname in hockey, he’s on his way to being an elite American winger like Phil Kessel and Patrick Kane.