Cutter Gauthier shining as Team USA goes undefeated in group play

The Flyers may have to wait another year to see Cutter Gauthier on NHL ice, but they are getting to see quite the performance from him on the international stage.

Gauthier, as a part of Team USA, has helped lead the way in the squad’s undefeated play in the group stage. With their overtime win against Sweden, they became the first American team to go undefeated in the preliminary round. Their opponents were undefeated to that point as well.

Ronnie Attard, another one of the Flyers young prospects, is on the USA team as well. He has one goal in four games.

Gauthier has been one of the key contributors for the USA, leading the team with six goals. He is third on the team with eight points overall. This is the first international tournament he has been a part of where it’s not just his own age group participating.

His six goals are second overall amongst the entire tournament. Only Dominik Kubalik (8) has more goals than Gauthier. His eight total points are ninth amongst the group. The impressive part of that is that five of the players above him are current NHL players. So Gauthier is finding a way to hang around with players who have much more experience under their belts.

Another interesting statistic is the amount of shots that Gauthier has fired at the net. His 44 shots on goal are tied for the most shots at the World Championships in the last five years. Looking at the list, Patrick Kane is the other player to have that many shots back in 2018. Kane appeared in 10 games that year while Gauthier is only up to seven so far.

His 44 shots are by far the most in the tournament. The next closest player is fellow USA teammate Alex Tuch. He has 26 shots. Gauthier has also not been on the ice for a single goal against thus far in the tournament.

It’s clear that Gauthier isn’t afraid to shoot the puck, something the Flyers hope to see at the NHL level whenever he makes the jump. It’s possible they could see him at the end of his sophomore season, depending on when that is. The team has yet to sign him to his entry-level contract, but that is just a formality at this point.

Team USA will head into the knockout round against the Czechs. The single-elimination game will take place on Thursday and can be seen on NHL Network.  Game time is scheduled for 9:20 a.m. EST.

Scott Laughton, Canada, place second in group stage

Scott Laughton, representing Canada for the first time since 2014, will also take part in the elimination round. He has a goal and three points in six games.

Canada will face Finland on Thursday. That game can also be seen on NHL Network at 1:20 p.m. EST. The team placed second in Group B.