A mainstay with The Hockey News for more than two decades, Ken Campbell is a long-time friend of SudburySports.com - and a very strong supporter of all things sports related to his hometown.
All right, first, let’s deal with the unique name. According to family lore, Sean Gauthier’s mother-in-law was visiting him and his wife in Sweden just prior to the birth of their son and she noticed a word that looked interesting in a Swedish cookbook. And that’s how Cutter Gauthier got his first name.
The only thing is, there is no such word in the Swedish language. Uffe Bodin, a pal from Sweden who was at the draft, was equally bewildered by all of it. “There is one word in Swedish called Katter, which means cats,” Bodin said. “But I don’t think you’re going to find that word in any Swedish cookbook.”
You hope not, at least.
But that’s how Cutter Gauthier got his name, so there’s some very serious business taken care of right there. You may not know this young man, but you might have heard of his father. Back in the day, Sean Gauthier was an elite goalie in Sudbury minor hockey who played for the Burgess Power Train midgets before embarking on a career that spanned 18 seasons, 14 cities, three countries and seven different leagues.
His only son was born in 2004 in Sweden and 18 years later, was taken fifth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL Draft, 176 picks earlier than his father was selected when he was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets in the ninth round of the 1991 draft. To give you an idea of how long ago that was, consider that the ninth round doesn’t even exist anymore. Sean was with the Reading Royals of the ECHL when he met his future wife, Kim, so he’ll have a lot of relatives who will only have to make a 90-minute drive to watch him play in the NHL.
Cutter Gauthier does not play the same position as his father, who was a goalie. He can play either left wing or centre, which he has done very well the past two years for the U.S. National Development Team, and will continue to do when he plays next season at Boston College. On the same day he was drafted, Gauthier also found out from U.S. World Junior coach Nate Leaman that he’s being offered a spot on that team for the tournament later this summer. So now it’s up to the Flyers and Boston College to decide whether it makes sense for him to play in it.
In Gauthier, the Flyers got a player who rocketed up the draft charts as the season progressed. They’re also getting a supremely confident player who is definitely in a rush to get to the NHL. “I think one year in the NCAA and then I’ll be ready to play in the National Hockey League and help the Philadelphia Flyers win the Stanley Cup in the near future,” Gauthier said. “I think I have the complete package and I think I have all the skills to be a centre or a left wing at the NHL level and I think it will be up to the team to make that decision in the near future.”
The younger Gauthier grew up in Arizona, not far from fellow former Sudburian and NHLer Brian Savage, until Savage left for Austria to work at the Red Bull Academy. Not long after, Gauthier picked up stakes and moved to the Detroit area, where Cutter could play a better brand of hockey with the famed Honeybaked program. From there it was on to the U.S. National Development Team program where Gauthier exploded for 34 goals and 65 points this past season.
In reality, Gauthier could have represented USA, Canada or Sweden as a player, but opted to play for USA in the World Under-18 championship, where he had three goals and nine points in six games for the silver medal-winning Americans. So he actually has a lot of reason to be confident.
“I think it’s just through all the hard work I’ve put in,” Gauthier said. “There’s nothing I’ve left on the table. I’ve worked my butt off to get where I am today. I’m super-excited and I’m super-confident.”
The Gauthier family has been unable to spend any time in Sudbury since the pandemic, but Cutter has fond memories of his times in northern Ontario. And with him almost certain to have an NHL career, it will add another chapter to Sudbury’s contributions to the best league in the world, albeit tangentially.
“Since the pandemic, I haven’t been able to see my grandparents (Denis/Viviane) or any of my dad’s side of the family,” Cutter said. “I usually go every summer and spend time with them and I have a few friends here from Sudbury. It’s good to see all those people, especially after tonight.”
