In-Depth Breakdown of Nathan Gaucher’s game

Nathan Gaucher is a 6’3 right-handed center who started the season as a prospect deemed to go in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. For my part, this status was quickly put into oblivion. That being said, teams operate with different philosophies and different realities so a first-round selection is not to be ruled out in his case.

Where Gaucher manages to make a strong case for himself is in the style of play he advocates. He was always a very responsible player on the ice and took pride in his defensive game and in the little details. Addressing an impeccable work ethic, he wants to be very effective in winning his one-on-one battles, whether to protect the puck or to seize it at the expense of his opponents. His game with his stick is also very effective as he shows a propensity to extract the puck from opposing players. Despite having sought-after qualities in the style of a ‘Pro’ player, Gauchers lack of natural offensive skills took precedence over the little things he did well on the ice. Already limited to a fairly low projection in the roster of an NHL club, Gaucher had to add additional arrows to his bow since the competition is fierce to carve out a position in the ‘Bottom-6’ of a team and that at this point, the coaches have nothing to wax about the rank of selection of a player. It was around mid-December that the center realized this and he added what is for me his best asset and that is his physical game. Already blessed with an imposing size and good physical strength, Gaucher now plays a much more aggressive style of play as he seeks to punish his opponents on a regular basis. He distributes very good checks and it is easy to notice that the opposing defenders know it when he is on the ice as they seek to protect themselves when he is the Remparts who performs the forecheck. It plays in their head and they are more prone to making mistakes.

If Gaucher wants to become an NHL player, he must excel defensively. That hasn’t always been the case for me this year. Especially in the first half of the season where his defensive reads were not always on point. However, overall, we can speak of a pretty solid game without the puck. It is not thanks to a superior intellect and a strong sense of anticipation that Gaucher finds success there, but mainly thanks to his abrasive style of play and his intensity that he can occupy such a role. He also excels in the face-off circle, being able to inherit heavy responsibilities at the end of the game.

At the other end of the rink, you guessed it, I’m less keen on what the forward has to offer. Gaucher is not a very creative player offensively and he shows several limits in this regard. He does not show a lot of ‘Poise’ in possession of the puck. He’s not going to backtrack and wait for new options to come his way, instead of forcing passes to the net that won’t materialize. He is not a player who can play at different speeds and who can play an East-West style. Despite a few nice dekes here and there, he’s not a player who can beat players in a one-on-one situation on a regular basis.

That being said, he still does a good job playing within his limits and we are not talking about a player who sees himself differently than the reality is. He keeps his game simple and he even finds a certain efficiency in his role. He is generally used in front of the net or in the ‘Bumper’ position during power plays and he does a good job where he is very difficult to dislodge due to his size and physical strength. He also has a ‘hungry’ mentality always jumping on loose pucks before opposing defenders. He’s at his best when he’s just playing inside certain lanes; by continuing his actions at the net without the puck and by going along the boards in control of it.

In terms of natural abilities, Gaucher is a fairly good skater and he has gained explosiveness during the season. He has good straight-line speed and can beat defenders from the outside when entering the zone. It is this kind of play that he must prioritize because he does not have the creativity nor the necessary refinement in his passing skills to create plays for his teammates when entering the zone. He is still a good option for carrying the puck because in addition to being fast and physically imposing, he plays with a relatively short stick and he keeps the puck close to him, making it difficult for opposing players to get it out of him. In addition, he excels at transferring his weight to his stick, adding to this quality. He doesn’t do this often, but he can beat his coverer if he changes his angle of attack abruptly.

More tangibly, Gaucher is not a player I can envision becoming a threat with his shot. He is quite direct and predictable in his windup. There aren’t many ‘Deceptive’ elements to his shot; he does not change his shooting angles at the last second, will not open a shooting-lane by handling the puck and manipulating the position of the defender in front of him before shooting, he will not deceive defenders and goalkeepers looking away with his head to hide his intentions, etc. The power and accuracy of his wrist shot show nothing superior to his peers as well. The best play he makes to use his shot is when he comes down from the left wing and leans on his shoulder while putting the puck inside the opposing defender’s stick reach and he will then fire quickly. He also does a really good job of getting open in the top slot at even strength and that’s something he manages to do multiple times within a game.

As a passer, these are the same observations that I observe with his shot. It presents no (or very few) elements of deception in his approaches. It’s easy for defenders to predict which pass he’ll go for and quite often Gaucher picked the wrong pass lines in my viewing. Even in a situation of odd-man rushes, I saw him make bad passes, among other things, due to a lack of precision. Often his saucer passes are far too hard, being impossible for his teammates to pick up. Even in a 5-on-3 situation, I saw him rush non-existent passing lanes.

For me, Nathan Gaucher is a player who has a relatively good chance of reaching the NHL, but it will be on a 4th line role, as far as I’m concerned. A formation which has a thin pipeline and which has a situation with the salary cap which promises to be perilous in a few seasons could opt for a safer pick like him.