Using their first-round choice in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected 6-foot-5, 239-pound center Frederik Gauthier from Laval, Quebec. The choice made sense. Gauthier carried size, and in his 2012-13 season in juniors with Rimouski Oceanic, he scored 22 goals and added 38 assists (for 60 points) in 62 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) games.
That was attractive enough for the Maple Leafs to take a chance on the young center. Gauthier spent two additional seasons with Oceanic and was just under a point-a-game player. In 2013-14, he played 54 games, scoring 18 goals and adding 34 assists (for 52 points); and, the next season, he played 37 games (with 16 and the same number of assists (for 32 points).
Gauthier’s Time with the Maple Leafs Organization
For the 2015-16 season, Gauthier moved to the American Hockey League (AHL) Toronto Marlies. There, he played 56 games, scored six goals, and added 12 assists (for 18 points). Although his scoring dropped in that AHL season, he did make his NHL debut. He played seven games with the Maple Leafs and collected a single assist.
Related: Frederik Gauthier – The Next Ones: NHL 2013 Draft Prospect Profile
Gauthier split the next two seasons, moving up and down between the Marlies and the Maple Leafs. Between the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 seasons, he played 103 AHL games and 30 NHL games. In 2018-19, Gauthier moved to the Maple Leafs full-time as the team’s regular fourth-line center. Over the next two seasons, he played 131 games, scoring 10 goals and adding 16 assists (for 26 points).
However, that wasn’t enough for the organization. Prior to the 2020-21 season, the Maple Leafs didn’t extend Gauthier a qualifying offer, as they had done the previous season.
That was the second offseason in a row the Maple Leafs didn’t qualify Gauthier. However, unlike the previous offseason, the organization didn’t re-sign him as a depth center. The Maple Leafs had gathered what they thought was a deep set of forwards headed into the season and decided to look to other players.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Gauthier, Lehtonen & All-Canadian Play
Gauthier, Jeremy Bracco, Evan Rodrigues, and Max Veronneau became qualifying casualties. Gauthier had played five seasons with the Blue and White, and before he moved on, he had become well-liked by many fans and, for sure, his teammates.
Gauthier Was One of John Tavares’ Favorite Teammates
Your years ago, before the NHL and the rest of us were forced to live through COVID-19, former Maple Leafs’ captain John Tavares participated in a long Q&A with Sportsnet’s Luke Fox to talk about his time as team captain. One interesting part of the interview was his relationship with Gauthier, whose nickname is “Goat.”
Tavares called Gauthier “the most interesting Maple Leaf. He’s awesome. … He’s just a quirky, very interesting guy and a really good person. I think he plays a really good role for us. It’s not always seen or talked about a lot, but just a lot of consistency with him, the way he carries himself, and his professionalism.”
Gauthier Moves Around the NHL
After his 2019-20 regular season with the Maple Leafs, Gauthier was signed by the Arizona Coyotes and played two games there. He didn’t score. However, teaming with former Maple Leafs’ first-line winger Michael Bunting, Gauthier played 18 games of the 2020-21 season with the Tucson Roadrunners. He scored a couple of goals and added five assists.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Timashov, Gauthier & Future Possibilities
After the 2020-21 season, Gauthier was signed by the New Jersey Devils for $800,000 during the 2021-22 preseason (on Oct. 8, 2021). The Devils put him on waivers, and he moved down to the AHL Utica Comets.
That’s where Gauthier spent his 2021-22 season. With the Comets, he played 51 games, with eight goals and 24 assists (for 32 points). That might have been the last season in North American hockey for the now 27-year-old Quebec native.
Gauthier Lands in Northern Switzerland
For the 2022-23 season, Gauthier played in northern Switzerland with Ajoie HC in the Swiss-A league. He played 52 games there, scored five goals, and added 14 assists (for 23 points).
What’s interesting (I think) about Ajoie HC is its location. The professional hockey team is based in Porrentruy, Switzerland. Porrentruy is a small municipality (and the capital of its district) in the canton of Jura (of the coffee machines). It is located in the northwest, near the border with France. The Ajoie HC club plays in the Swiss League (SL) (the second-tier professional ice hockey league in Switzerland). The team has won the Swiss League championship three times and plays its home games at the Patinoire des Mélèzes, which holds 3,000 spectators.
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My quick research suggests that a typical Canadian player in the Swiss A league makes just under 300,000 Swiss Francs. Given that the Swiss Franc is worth about 1.45 Canadian dollars, Gauthier was making—give or take—just under $500,000 CAD for his season.
Playing Near France Was Like Being Home for Gauthier
As noted, the place Gauthier played hockey in Switzerland is a small town with a population of just under 8,000 people close to the border of France. Given that Gauthier’s first language is French and, having worked in Switzerland several times, I can see a possible connection and attraction for the Quebec native.
Porrentruy is known for its medieval old town, including the castle and the Church of Saint-Pierre. Its economy is based on agriculture and tourism, and it holds several cultural and agricultural festivals each year. There are likely worse places for a French-speaking Canadian hockey player to live and play.
Last season with HC Ajoie, Gauthier posted solid numbers, scoring 10 goals and adding eight assists in 44 games. He proved a dependable player over two seasons in the Swiss-A league, contributing offensively and defensively. However, at the end of this past season, HC Ajoie and Gauthier parted ways, leaving him free to explore new opportunities.
Gauthier Signs in the KHL for the 2024-25 Season
However, after a couple of seasons in the Swiss National League with HC Ajoie, Gauthier is set to embark on a new chapter in his hockey career. He recently signed with Vityaz Moscow Region in the KHL for the upcoming season.
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As Gauthier heads to the KHL, he brings a diverse skill set honed across multiple leagues. His experience, which includes winning gold medals with Team Canada at the U18 and U20 levels, will undoubtedly be an asset to Vityaz as they seek to bolster their roster. For the 29-year-old, this move represents his second stop in Europe since leaving North America in 2022, marking an exciting new chapter in his professional journey.
Here’s hoping the KHL works out for the former Maple Leafs player and current international hockey traveler. Imagine the stories the Goat will be able to tell his grandchildren.
