‘I feel like I can contribute’: Improved confidence a big factor in Senators’ Adam Gaudette’s career year
It’s easy to look at Adam Gaudette’s season and think to yourself, “This guy came out of nowhere.”
But for the people who have been familiar with his game at all levels over the course of his career, his success shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The Ottawa Senators currently sit in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Part of the reason is because of pieces like Gaudette, who have contributed on both sides of the puck. Gaudette has scored a career-high 15 goals and five assists through 46 games this season. Given he’s on a team that needs depth scoring, he’s delivering.
“He’s a natural goal-scorer,” Senators coach Travis Green said. “He’s always been that in every league that he’s played in. He’s shown that he still has that touch, and that’s not surprising.”
Gaudette was introduced to the NHL fresh off of winning the 2018 Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s most outstanding player. During his junior year at Northeastern University, he put up 30 goals and 30 assists in just 38 games played. By all accounts, he was an unstoppable force.
Adam Gaudette scores an empty-net goal to complete the hat trick and give Northeastern its first Beanpot title in 30 years. pic.twitter.com/CBd1FB98Cw
— NESN (@NESN) February 13, 2018It’s been seven years since that dominant college season. Through ups and downs – including multiple stints in the AHL – Gaudette has learned and grown throughout his professional career to get to the point he’s now, playing a significant role on a bubble playoff team.
Gaudette only played in two NHL games over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. He led the AHL in scoring with 44 goals last year (and posted a career-high 71 points), so it was clear he could produce. But doing so at the NHL was a totally different animal, and it never seemed like he could find his footing during his time in Vancouver, Chicago, St. Louis, or even his original stint in Ottawa.
Finally, it appears that Gaudette has found his comfort level and confidence in the NHL.
“I think it’s a little bit of both [of a comeback story or is this who he’s always been],” Gaudette said. “I think there were a lot of things that I needed to learn and figure out with my game. The scoring was always there; it was more of the defensive side, the details, and being on the right side of the puck that propelled that and got me back up here. I’m a big believer in playing good defense and having that lead to offense.”
Confidence is hard to find and easy to lose in the NHL, especially when a player has been through peaks and valleys. In recent years, Gaudette has learned new ways to channel it to his advantage.
“I’m definitely not as dominant, but with the puck, I feel the confidence to hold onto it and make plays,” he said. “Physically, I’ve matured, so that helps as well, I’m not getting bumped off pucks as easily and just being in the right areas without the puck. finding ways to get open”, he said
“My confidence definitely lacked a little bit the last time I was in the league, and I could sense that. I had to find that and get it back – it definitely feels like it’s back. When I’m out there on the ice with whoever, I feel like I can contribute.”
One common thing amongst guys that are natural goal scorers is they’re typically only having fun when the pucks are going in. To stick around the NHL, players like Gaudette understand that they need to find a “B-game,” a famous Bruce Cassidy saying that essentially describes the ways a player can impact a game when they’re not scoring. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win. Whether that’s winning battles on the wall and in the D-zone, taking faceoffs, or just making solid plays to keep O-zone possession. You’re not going to score every game, and as much as you’d like to, it’s something that only a select few guys can do. You have to find a way to contribute to the team when the pucks are not going in the net”, Gaudette said.
Even though he’s not considered a young guy anymore, Gaudette still looks up to one of his linemates, Claude Giroux, who he watched growing up as an East Coast kid.
“He just tells me to go to the net, and he’ll get me the puck,” Gaudette said about playing with Giroux. “Playing with those two guys [Giroux and Tim Stutzle] is great because they do a lot of work on the outside and create a lot of space out there. I just sneak around and win battles for them – get them the puck and go to the hard areas, that’s why they score goals around the net.”
The Senators have been hot recently, and the playoffs are in sight. The group is feeling it right now and Gaudette has been a huge part of the success they’re building.
The year he’s had is no fluke, and to many, isn’t a surprise. Gaudette is finally showing the world what he’s capable of.
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