Benjamin Gaudreau's career has taken a turbulent path since he was drafted by the San Jose Sharks.
Former San Jose Sharks draft pick Benjamin Gaudreau has committed to Clarkson University after two professional seasons.
The Sharks selected Gaudreau in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft. A goaltender who at that time was playing for the Sarnia Sting, Gaudreau missed his entire draft year as the OHL's season was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. He played at the 2021 U-18 World Junior Championship representing Canada though, and was named as the tournament's best goaltender.
When the Sharks selected Gaudreau, he seemed like he had the potential to become their goaltender of the future according to Donesh Mazloum of Dobber Prospects. "Gaudreau remains one of the better goaltending prospects on the planet and took a nice development step forward after missing all of last season due to the pandemic," Mazloum wrote in June 2022. "While he is still far away from NHL games, he has the potential to be the Sharks starting goalie of the future."
The Sharks never signed Gaudreau to an entry-level contract though, and once his rights expired in June 2023, he re-entered the draft and went undrafted. After finishing his time in the Ontario Hockey League, Gaudreau turned professional when he signed with the Rockford IceHogs.
Eventually he was sent down to the ECHL where he played with the Indy Fuel. The following season, he signed an American Hockey League contract with the Laval Rocket, but spent the entire season in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivieres Lions.
On Tuesday, Gaudreau announced on Instagram that he had committed to Clarkson University for the 2026-27 season.
Now 23 years old, Gaudreau's career hasn't been as linear as many experts expected when the Sharks selected him in the 2021 NHL Draft. At Clarkson, he'll get an opportunity to get things back on track as he looks to establish a long-term career in professional hockey.