Despite His Lack of Goals, Cutter Gauthier Isn’t Crying

Practice officially ended 20 minutes ago, but Cutter Gauthier remains on the ice, taking passes from assistant coach Tim Army and hammering them into the net. He curses loudly after missing high on one of them before resuming until Army is out of pucks.

Gauthier has played in all 12 of Anaheim’s games so far. He has 82 shot attempts and 31 shots on goal through those 12 games. He’s shooting a lot, that’s for sure. But the key stat that made him a Hobey Baker finalist for the top collegiate hockey player last season––goals––has a fat goose egg.

It’s not like Gauthier hasn’t had optimal scoring chances either. He’s rung the post on several occasions, been stopped on a couple of breakaways and just flat-out missed on a chance or two.

“He had an open net in New Jersey on the power play (and) he hits the pipe,” head coach Greg Cronin said. “We had no business winning (that game), but it’s 5-3 with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the game (if) he scores that. He misses that one. I don’t think he had much (against the Islanders), but then he could have had two (against Pittsburgh). The goalie’s down and out, he shoots it off his stick. And then he has a breakaway. He scores those goals, he’s got a different mindset. He’s going to score.”

‘Just keep doing what you’re doing’ is the message that Cronin has for Gauthier. “I’m more focused on him doing the right thing structurally (and) being a responsible player,” Cronin said. “He’s got to get in on people and finish checks more, get more active physically. He’s still trying to figure that out because he didn’t have to do that in college.

“(I’m) trying to get him to be more responsible in the defensive zone on faceoff assignments. He gets the puck in the offensive zone and he throws it away too much (right now). He just gets it and throws it. Who are you throwing the puck to? That to me is a reflection of a person that’s trying to figure things out.”

Gauthier began the season on a line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, the same two linemates that he played with in his NHL debut in the last game of the 2023-24 season. Because of the Ducks’ offensive struggles through the first 12 games, Gauthier now finds himself on a line with Killorn and Trevor Zegras.

“I think there’s a little bit of chemistry there,” Cronin said. “I was really happy to see (Gauthier) get the breakaway (in Pittsburgh). He just blew right by Letang. It was like, whoa, you know? Like, that’s elite skating out on the ice and he just blew by him. I think that should give him some confidence that he can drive it wide. (Zegras) can skate too. He’s a little bit more selective when he goes. (Killorn) is a smart player, so those two guys should be able to create offensively.”

“I think it’s been great ever since the first game (that we played on a line together),” Gauthier said. “(We) created lots of opportunities in New York and then I thought we had a great game against Pittsburgh and another good one (against Chicago). I think the more we play together, the better chemistry we’re going to build and have the tendencies of knowing where each other are on the ice and eventually, (those chances are) going to go in for us.”

“Cutter is unbelievable,” Zegras said. “He’s been getting some tough puck luck these first couple of games, but I think he gets like five shots a night so they’re going to start going in for him.”

“It’s tough,” Killorn said. “I’ve been in those situations and the longer it goes, it feels like it’s almost impossible to score. Then there are times when you’re scoring and it feels so easy. The puck’s just coming to you with an open net. I just tell him, ‘It’s going to happen sooner or later, and once it does, it’s gonna be easier for them. You’ve just got to get that first one.'”

Killorn has been working with Gauthier to improve his board play since the beginning of training camp. It’s a skill that Killorn has utilized well throughout his NHL career.

“I just wanted him to protect the puck (better) and work on protecting the puck,” Killorn said. “College is a lot different than the NHL in terms of defensemen and how hard they play. If you can hold onto it for even a couple more seconds and just maintain possession, it can help out our line big time.”

“Not playing winger for the last couple of years, it’s still an adjustment period,” Gauthier said. “Yeah, it’s 12 games in the season, but still. You’re playing against the best players in the world and the best defensemen in the world, and they know tendencies––they’ve played in the league for a very long time––that wingers are going to have, so it’s just getting used to the type of rim, whether it’s hard, soft, or where the pressure is coming from and (Killorn) has helped me a lot with a couple of pick up tips coming off the wall.”

Gauthier knows it’s been a bit of a slow start for himself, especially when the team is relying on players like him to help provide depth scoring. The goals haven’t come yet, but he has provided assists over the last handful of games and has improved his play with every passing game after being benched during Anaheim’s home opener last month.

“I feel like the last four or five games, I’ve been playing a lot better,” he said. “(I’m) getting a lot more consistent, getting used to my linemates and creating a lot of good opportunities on net. Unfortunately, none of them have gone in so far, but you’ve got to keep a light mind and small memory and keep pushing forward and get through the little, per se, hump.”

Gauthier isn’t the only one struggling to find the net. Zegras, Mason McTavish and Frank Vatrano have yet to score a goal at 5-on-5. The trio have combined for three goals, with two of those being empty netters.

“(Creating offense has been) difficult as a team,” defenseman and alternate captain Cam Fowler said. We’re not producing much offensively (right now), so it’s hard to have any individual success. For (McTavish), I’m sure it’s nice to see that one go in (against Chicago) and now he can move forward, knowing that the monkey’s off his back. Cutter, listen, he’s doing a lot of good things. He’s got an elite shot, so the goals will come.”

“It’s tough for sure,” McTavish said. It’s really hard. I think the biggest thing is staying positive and knowing what’s coming, (Gauthier is) a great player. You can lose your confidence quickly in this league and I’ve been guilty of that a couple of times in my career. It’s not great, it’s not fun. So I think you just have to stay positive and do everything that you can control like staying out late or getting out early for practice.”

“It’s easy when you’re not going through it, it’s hard when you are going through it,” Frank Vatrano said. “I think the biggest thing is that with Cutter, you can’t change the way you play. You’re playing well and you’re getting your chances, they’re just not falling for you. If you’re getting the chances, that’s obviously a positive and I think for him, you just need to see one go in.

“I remember being at his age, I scored in my first NHL game and then I don’t think I scored another one for another 15+ games. It’s all about just staying with the process and knowing what works. After my 15-game goalless streak, I had a hat trick, so you just need to see one go in and then you have the confidence that everything is gonna go in, so that’s all it takes. Simple as that.

(Fact check: Vatrano did score in his first NHL game, but scored again six games later. But, he did have a hat trick 15 games later after his NHL debut and first NHL goal.)

“He has tremendous skill,” Vatrano said. “He’s a shooter. He loves to shoot the puck and, I think for him, he’s (still) learning the process, too. As a goalscorer at previous levels, you need to find the spots on the ice that you can score from, especially as an offensive guy who scores goals. Those pockets close pretty quickly, so you need to find spots on the ice where you can get open quickly and get your shot off. He’s got a quick release, he’s got a great shot, so you just need to get the puck to him. He’s going to do the rest. He’s figuring that out and he’s getting better and better every game.”

“You get frustrated and pissed off with yourself when you’re not getting those opportunities and nothing’s coming for you,” Gauthier said. “You can feel good about yourself and sleep at night when you’re getting a lot of opportunities, maybe the puck’s just not going in for you that night. I’m just glad that we’re getting a lot of opportunities––good ones, too. Soon enough, they’re going to go in for us.

“We’ve got to just keep chipping away. It’s cliché, but just keep chipping away every single game and whether it’s dirty or pretty, it’s going to find its way in somehow and then we just build on top of that moving forward.”

Gauthier joked that he needs to start shooting lower so that he stops missing the net. His mentality is that despite the slow start offensively for both himself and the team, they need to keep banging away and once one comes, the goals will start flowing, just like Teemu Selänne’s ketchup bottle reference.

The slow start for the former fifth overall pick has been eaten up by many of Gauthier’s former supporters in the Philadelphia Flyers fanbase. Gauthier was originally drafted by the Flyers in 2022 but requested a trade in Dec. 2023 following the conclusion of his stellar World Juniors tournament performance. The following month, he was traded to the Ducks in exchange for Jamie Drysdale, having never played for the Flyers. Shortly after the trade, Gauthier recalled how much vitriol and hatred he endured on social media.

“They’re still there,” he said. “It’s an everyday thing. I don’t think I’ll ever get away from it. After every game, you’ll see it, every day. Just try to limit how much you look at it and not let it bother you. People are going say what they’re gonna say, but they all wish that they were in the same position I was playing in the NHL, so I can’t let it affect me.”

“He’s just got to keep shooting,” said Carlsson. “I saw a stat on Twitter that said he was like unluckiest shooter in the league or something like that. He’s just got to keep shooting the puck. He hit the post last game, so if he gets one, it’s just going to keep on going for him. It’s as simple as that.”

“I think he has a lot of skill and ability,” defenseman Olen Zellweger said. “Guys are probably saying he has a great shot and he does. I think he’s been trying to use it a lot, trying to find that open space. I think he’s working pretty well with (Zegras) and (Killorn) in the past few games.

“He’s looking for his first goal and I think he’s been really close, generating a lot of chances. I think the biggest thing for him is just for him to stay positive and keep going. As a whole, our team, we haven’t scored a bunch or been pushing heavy offensively, which is what we’re working on and I think that’s going to change with skill and speed type of guys.”

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