Ethan Gauthier has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois. Gauthier’s deal will begin in the 2024-25 season.
In the 2023 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old was taken 37th overall. He was the draft pick obtained in the Ross Colton trade with the Colorado Avalanche. He now plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, where he has 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 28 games.
In terms of points, the Voltigeurs’ assistant captain is third on the team. Gauthier is one of four NHL draft picks to play for the Voltigeurs, along with Arizona Coyotes prospect Maveric Lamoureux, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov, and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Tyler Peddle.
The product of Phoenix, Arizona, is in his third season in the QMJHL. Gauthier won the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL’s Best Professional Prospect last season while playing for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, earning 30 goals and 69 points and adding four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 11 QMJHL Playoff games. Gauthier has 61 goals and 138 points in 159 QMJHL games with the Phoenix and Voltigeurs.
Drummondville is tied for first place in the QMJHL’s Western Conference with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, with a 19-9-3-1 record and 42 points. Prior to the CHL break for Christmas, the Voltigeurs play the 2025 Memorial Cup hosts, Rimouski Oceanic, on Friday and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Saturday.
Gauthier represented Team Canada at the 2022-23 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring a tournament-high six goals and seven points in five games to help Canada win gold.
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