Gauthier hits 40 goals

Cutter Gauthier reached 40 goals on April 12, scoring twice for Anaheim in a 4-3 overtime loss to Vancouver and becoming the fourth 40-goal scorer in Ducks history. (espn.com) The 22-year-old opened the scoring 3:41 into the first period and added his 40th later in the game, giving him 40 goals and 27 assists through 79 games this season. (espn.com) (nhl.com) Gauthier scored 20 goals in 82 games as a rookie in 2024-25, then nearly doubled that total in his second full National Hockey League season while raising his average ice time to 17:16 per game from 14:09. (nhl.com) Anaheim entered April 10 in third place in the Pacific Division at 42-32-5 with 89 points, a sharp jump from last season’s 35-37-10 finish and 80 points. Gauthier led the club in goals during that rise. (nhl.com) (hockey-reference.com) The number also puts Gauthier in rare company for the franchise. Hockey-Reference lists Teemu Selanne’s 52 goals in 1997-98 as the Ducks’ single-season record, and Anaheim said Gauthier is only the fourth player in team history to hit 40. (hockey-reference.com) (sportspyder.com) Gauthier arrived in Anaheim in a January 8, 2024 trade that sent defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round draft pick to Philadelphia. The Flyers had drafted him fifth overall in 2022, and Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said at the time, “we do not have a player like this in our organization.” (nhl.com) Before turning professional, Gauthier scored 38 goals and 65 points in 41 games at Boston College in 2023-24, then signed his entry-level contract with Anaheim on April 14, 2024. He also helped the United States win gold at the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. (nhl.com) His 40th goal gives Anaheim a young scorer at a level the franchise has rarely seen, and it lands with the Ducks still pushing through the final week of the regular season. (espn.com) (nhl.com)