Johnny Gaudreau Playing Key Role For Calgary Flames In Rookie Season

BOSTON — Johnny Gaudreau skated at TD Garden for the first time as an NHL player Thursday morning.

The former Boston College Eagles forward is in his rookie season for the Calgary Flames, who will take on the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

The Flames were predicted by many experts and fans to finish near the bottom of the standings and be in the mix to select top prospects Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel as one of the teams with the best odds in the draft lottery. Calgary instead has surprised many people by sitting in a playoff spot for most of the campaign, and Gaudreau has played an important part in that success.

His 30 assists, 45 points and 13 power-play points in 62 games all rank second among rookies this season.

“Johnny’s progression has been real good, right from Day 1,” Flames head coach Bob Hartley said. “Many people are still asking my what were the expectations — they were the same as all the other rookies in training camp. It was a wait and see approach. … Johnny took on from training camp, and let’s remember our six-game road trip right at the start of the year, that was a tough welcome for Johnny. He struggled, but he kept fighting, he’s a great hockey player. What I’ve learned about Johnny is he’s a quite a competitor.

One of the biggest obstacles for Gaudreau is his size. At 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, he’s smaller than most of his opponents, but he’s adjusted well to the speed and physicality of the NHL level and his high hockey IQ helps him avoid being in vulnerable situations.

“It’s something I’ve had to deal with all my life, and as I’ve gone to each of the next levels, there’s little things I have to get better at, and there’s a lot of things that I’ve been working on throughout the season,” Gaudreau said. “I’m fortunate we have a lot of good guys in this locker room who have really helped me in my first pro season here.”

Gaudreau is among the top candidates — along with Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg — for the Calder Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league’s most outstanding rookie.

Finishing his rookie season with some hardware would be nice, but the primary focus for Gaudreau is helping the Flames reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.

“Right now, we’re fighting for a playoff spot and that’s the most important thing right now.”

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Thumbnail photo via Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports Images