The reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Year faces a difficult path to the NHL next season as the Penguins’ netminding depth grows.
Taylor Gauthier, the reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Year, heads into the final season of his current contract with two successful minor-league campaigns behind him but an uncertain path to the NHL ahead.
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Gauthier was named the ECHL’s goaltender of the year after leading the Wheeling Nailers into the playoffs with a 24-16-1-1 record through 42 regular-season appearances.
His 2.23 goals against average was the lowest in the ECHL, while his .923 save percentage and four shutouts tied for the league lead. That allowed him to become the first player in franchise history to earn the honor despite missing more than 10 games at the end of the season with a lower-body injury.
He continues to live up to his name…
— Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) April 18, 2024
Taylor Gauthier has been named the @ECHL 2024 Nick Vitucci Goalie of the Year!
Gauthier is the first goalie in Wheeling Nailers history to receive this honor! #ForgeTheFuture pic.twitter.com/uVKNpDkpX0
Gauthier also made four appearances in the AHL with the Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins, the results of which were more of a mixed bag.
When first called to the AHL in October amid injuries on the NHL roster, Gauthier recorded his first shutout in the league. During appearances in November and December, however, he allowed a combined 11 goals against in two games prior to his final move to the ECHL.
Alex Nylander recorded three points (2+1), and Taylor Gauthier stopped 34 shots for his first career shutout, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Syracuse Crunch, 4-0, on Friday night.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) November 11, 2023
Postgame Highlights are courtesy of the @PALottery pic.twitter.com/hkjGUUGJS4
Gauthier’s inability to stick around in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton represented a step down the franchise depth chart since the netminder made 20 appearances with a .907 goals against average during the 2022-23 AHL season.
With AHL starter Joel Blomqvist potentially ready to challenge for an NHL roster spot next season, combined with the offseason additions of Swedish star Filip Larsson and Russian junior league standout Sergei Murashov, Gauthier’s path back to the AHL is not guaranteed. The odds he makes his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season are stacked against him.
Gauthier is still likely to remain a key part of the team’s goaltending depth for the third time in as many professional seasons after Nailers head coach Derek Army called Gauthier the “backbone” of the ECHL squad at the end of the campaign.
No matter where he ends up this fall, Gauthier will be looking to play well enough to earn another contract. The netminder is currently in the final year of the three-year deal he inked with the Penguins in 2022.
