It’s tough for an athlete to have a better past six months than Johnny Gaudreau did.
A Hobey Baker Award, a trip to the NCAA title game, an NHL contract, an eye-popping performance at World Junior Championship — what the 5-foot-9 Calgary Flames winger lacks in stature, he’s more than made up for in accolades.
Gaudreau will look to add another line to his impressive résumé next week at the ESPYS, where he’s been nominated for the award for best male college athlete. Joining him as nominees for the honor are Creighton’s Doug McDermott (basketball), Florida State’s Jameis Winston (football), Albany’s Lyle Thompson (lacrosse) and Penn State’s David Taylor (wrestling).
“It’s exciting,” the Boston College product said Saturday at Flames development camp, via NHL.com. “I’m up there against four pretty talented athletes. It’s great to be recognized, and I’m going to be excited to get out there and meet the other guys.”
Gaudreau was a scoring machine for the Eagles last season, leading the nation in goals (36), assists (44) and points in 40 games as a junior and lighting the lamp again in his NHL debut with Calgary.
After seeing these kinds of stats, it’s easy to forget that Gaudreau still has a month to go before his 21st birthday. His answer to a question about whether he’ll attend the ESPYS ceremony next Wednesday, though, is a quick reminder of that.
“As of now I am (going),” Gaudreau said. “I still need to speak to my parents about it. It’s kind of cutting into my workout schedule at home, but I think they’ll let me skip.”
Video screenshot via NHL.com
