Pro #2: Utica’s best get NHL chance
The injuries began to pile up, and general manage Jim Benning plucked his most talented players from the Utica Comets for a chance to prove themselves at the NHL level. Gaudette got the first call and he earned it. Sven Baertschi had an extended look, Nikolay Goldobin remains with the team. And finally, Zack MacEwen, Tyler Graovac and Ashton Sautner also got some games in.
Gaudette
If one thing is for certain, Adam Gaudette is done playing hockey in the AHL.
In the absence of Sutter and Beagle, he was given an extended look at playing center where he has been succeeding and proving his worth to the big club. The 2014 fifth round pick has already scored six times while adding five assists in 17 NHL games.
He still needs work in the defensive end, but given a full season, he has the potential to be a 30-goal scorer. He can definitely make it to 20 this year. Don’t expect Gaudette to be sent down. He is an NHL player.
Baertschi
Captain Horvat has without a doubt felt the weight of captaincy this month. He has struggled at even strength. So with Miller clicking on line one, and Ferland after went down with a concussion, Baertschi was the obvious choice to call up and find chemistry with his old linemate.
Baertschi was one of Bo’s groomsmen this summer, so you would hope he could help Bo find his game. That didn’t happen, unfortunately. Baertschi only got two assists in six contests and was a minus-two. He ran out of time to prove the doubters wrong, which opened the door for the Russian playmaker, Goldobin.
Goldobin
He has only got one game under his belt, where he played just 8:37. Goldy started the game on the top line with Petey and Miller, but coach Green didn’t like what he saw against the high-scoring Pittsburgh Penguins. As such, Goldobin was demoted to line four.
Green still doesn’t have the defensive trust in Goldobin, but he should get another crack in the top six. He leads the Comets in scoring with 20 points in 18 games, so he deserves a good look with either Pettersson or Horvat. When that happens remains to be determined, but Goldobin better be ready to bring it. This could quite possibly be his last chance to land an NHL job with the Canucks.
MacEwen, Graovac & Sautner
Sautner’s NHL debut was short-lived, as he suffered an injury during the Nov. 2 game against the San Jose Sharks. Sautner will get another shot at some point as top prospect, Olli Juolevi is out once again with an undisclosed injury.
Graovac has been a big body on the fourth line with very limited minutes. The coach has shown some trust in him though, as he has seen time on the second unit power play over guys like Jake Virtanen. A bit of a head-scratcher in my opinion, but he hasn’t been terrible. He looks like a career-long call-up kind of guy.
MacEwen, the undrafted winger, has played five games for the team — and he even got a chance to play with Horvat and Miller. He didn’t look out of place, but he still needs some time in the AHL to sharpen up his game as he only has one assist. He is still a better option than Eriksson.