San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn spoke to reporters this morning about the path for a player going through the NCAA route.

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn spoke to reporters this morning about the path for a player going through the NCAA route.

Amid the drama with the Philadelphia Flyers and Cutter Gauthier, Quinn's NCAA coaching history allowed him to shed some light on what goes on for an NHL prospect playing college hockey. 

"Every situation is different. There are a lot of conversations that go on in a player's development," Quinn said. "When a player should stay. When a player should leave. I was always a firm believer that you stick with the organization that drafts you, but obviously, with the influence of the advisors and organization changes, sometimes that doesn't always work out. Every case is different."

Henry Thrun was traded to the Sharks last season in February. Thrun was drafted in the 4th round by the Anaheim Ducks in 2019 but didn't sign with them.

The opportunity to play in the NHL excited Thrun, and he got just that when he signed one day after Harvard was eliminated from the 2023 NCAA tournament. 

"I think he's done a really good job," Quinn said about Thrun's game this season. "It's hard to develop in the National Hockey League, and we're asking players to do that. Some players can handle it, some can't, and he certainly can. He's very attentive. He's coachable. His struggles don't get in the way of his development, which is huge at this level."

Thrun scored his first NHL goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Quinn spent five years behind the bench at Boston University, where he coached future NHL stars like Jack Eichel and Charlie McAvoy. His experience at the NCAA level may help him connect with Thrun.

Like Thrun, Gauthier didn't want to sign with the team that drafted him. In a bombshell trade, the Anaheim Ducks moved defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Cutter Gauthier.

Gauthier was drafted No. 5 overall in 2022 and named the best forward of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Gauthier played for Team USA and helped lead them to a gold medal. 

Gauthier took some flack online about his decision not to play for the Flyers, but Quinn knows there is no overarching plan for every prospect.

"You can't really make a blanket path for a player, whether it be in his development or whether he ultimately is going to end up in the National Hockey League and which organization he ends up with," Quinn said about Gauthier. "I would say 95% of players end up with the organizations that draft them. You have the outliers that don't, but for the most part, most of these players end up going with the organizations [that draft them]."

Every player's path to the NHL is different. Whether through juniors, NCAA, or overseas like Auston Matthews, NHL prospects will always do what they feel is best for their development to get to their dream, the NHL.

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