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Sarnia Sting goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau recently sat down with Junior Hockey Magazine to discuss his play at the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, his impression of the exceptional duo Shane Wright and Connor Bedard, as well as his mindset ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft:
Junior Hockey Magazine: What was it like to go into a tournament like that when you had not played a competitive game in 14 months?
Benjamin Gaudreau: There was definitely a lot of pressure, but in talking with my sports psychologist, pressure is a made-up thing. It is just about focusing on your game, playing your game, and doing your thing. It was definitely hard. There were a lot of nerves, especially from the last couple of games but I just tried to replace those nerves with fun and go out there and play my game.
JHM: How many games did you have to play before you felt good?
BG: Before the first three games, I got really nervous. It took me a little bit just to kind of get going in those first three games, so I would not say I really felt good until the semi-final game. I felt good during the end of games most of the time but never off the hop.
JHM: What was it like when it was finally done and you got to celebrate that gold medal?
BG: It was unreal. Once ‘Shaner’ (Wright) put that empty-net goal in, it kind of became true. Those last 40 seconds took a few years. It was a lot of fun. We had a great group of guys. I could not have celebrated it with a better group. Words cannot really describe it still.
JHM: What was it like to be able to watch talent like Shane Wright and Connor Bedard?
BG: It is hard to see that those guys are 2004s and 2005s. I have played with Shane quite a bit before, so I knew what he could do. He is just an unreal, all-around player who knows how to play at both ends of the ice, which is rare, especially that young. ‘Bedsy’, seeing him, my sister is a 2005, so seeing him, this kid is young but he was unreal. Talking to lots of guys when I got home who have played pro hockey and who are from North Bay who I am close with, even they cannot believe how good he is. Offensively, his goal in the finals proved it all. He missed on a penalty shot and was pretty ticked off at himself but instead of sitting there and pouting, he went out the next shift and scored a highlight reel goal. They are unreal players and even better guys off the ice.
JHM: You spent some time with some NHL teams on Zoom calls. Tell us about that.
BG: It is definitely nerve racking, especially leading up to the call. But once you step back and take it all in, it is pretty awesome. All of the questions, they are pretty good. They make you think, so it is a lot of fun. There are awesome guys on every single one of those calls, guys you have looked up to. It is awesome.
JHM: Was there anyone you got to meet through those calls that stood out?
BG: A few goalie coaches. As a goalie, I guess I got lucky there. Lots of guys who I have talked to and who have talked to me past that and have congratulated me. They are all unreal guys. It just shows their professionalism.
JHM: How satisfied are you with what you were able to show at the Under-18s?
BG: This tournament is pretty big for me. It is probably my only showcase that I get this year going into the NHL Draft. I was pleased and really happy with the outcome. Talking to my agent and a few other guys, it was really good and there was lots of positive feedback from them. It was awesome to have that go the way it did. At the end of the day, I had a great group of guys in front of me who let me play my game and let me settle in.
Click here to listen to the full episode of Junior Hockey Magazine
