I know nothing about Freddy Gaudreau. Anyone care to enlighten me?
He is Milwaukee's Most Improved Player so far this season. He was also rated as the Best Forward and Most Impressive Player according to the Admirals Roundtable Mid-Season report. See below.
89, Frédérick Gaudreau: Hearing the news that this guy signed an NHL deal has been one of the real highlights of the Admirals season for a very simple reason: the developmental process works. Gaudreau was an undrafted free-agent signing by the Admirals two summers ago, spent his first pro season last year split between the AHL and ECHL but mainly was a healthy scratch in Milwaukee, was brought back for this season, and has exploded.
There hasn’t been a better example of a player seizing an opportunity and rising to the occasion on the Admirals roster this season than Gaudreau. He was a healthy scratch on opening night. He started out as a fourth line winger. He shuffled up the deck on and on until team captain Sissons was recalled by the Predators. Who assumed that role Sissons played? Gaudreau. How did he play? Insane. Whether he was operating as top line center, on the power-play taking faceoffs and contributing, working top penalty kill unit with Girard, or being one of the top man penciled in for the Admirals to win shootouts – he did everything and everything well.
Gaudreau has been leading the Admirals in scoring for awhile now and currently finds himself in a tie for the team lead with Görtz. One of those guys would have made some of sense to hear attached to that title a year out last season. Though, I imagine most would have taken the Swede of those two options. That’s a massive credit to how much work Gaudreau has put in and him signing that NHL contract with the Predators is hopefully the first of many rewards to come. Seeing players work as hard as Gaudreau is something everyone can cheer on: from undrafted to AHL/ECHL playing time to an NHL contract. That doesn’t happen by accident. (Grade: A)