Cutter Gauthier has been all over the news after being traded to the Ducks, but many may not know his hockey journey all started in Arizona.
Cutter Gauthier has been the talk of the hockey world over the past 24 hours as he was suddenly traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flyers organization made clear that Gauthier did not want to play in Philadelphia which ultimately led to his trade to the Ducks.
This situation is peculiar to say the least since the Flyers drafted Gauthier with the fifth overall pick back in 2022.
The 19-year-old has changed the game without even stepping foot on the ice. Player empowerment is not a phrase we hear much about in the NHL, but Gauthier may have completely changed the power dynamic completely.
For a player who has not even played one NHL game to demand their way out of the city that they were drafted by is practically unheard of, so this is a huge deal.
Future top prospects could be more cautious about which teams they are ok with being drafted by and based on this whole dilemma, may possibly be able to steer their way to certain organizations.
While many people are currently debating about why Gauthier wanted to leave Philadelphia, some fans may be wondering where the young prospect is from and how he actually got to this point.
An interesting fact that not many know about Gauthier is that his love and passion for hockey actually all started in Arizona.
When Gauthier was just two-years-old, his family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. This is where his athletic journey stemmed from.
“The upbringing was in Arizona because he was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets at the time and their farm team had moved down to Arizona,” Gauthier said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “So I guess he wanted one last kick at the can with professional hockey. That's where we started hockey and that's where the passion began to grow, seeing his old gear and seeing all the memories of him playing.”
During his time in Arizona, Gauthier learned how to skate and and actually played for the Jr. Coyotes, a popular youth hockey program in the Valley.
At 10-years-old, Gauthier moved from Arizona to Michigan in order to play for Honeybaked Hockey, but he still had some positive things to say about his childhood roots.
“They've done such great things in hockey. They're only on the uphill right now,” Gauthier said about hockey in Arizona via Sportsnet. “I think hockey is for everyone. To see it expand from such conditions, especially [when it’s] 100 degrees out every other week, it's pretty cool. There's not many rinks down in Arizona, and I think it's spreading. It's a good atmosphere overall.
“The desert and hockey — it doesn't really mix well. But it's cool to see all these players come out there.”
Hockey in the Valley is indeed growing as players like Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies are thriving at the NHL level.
Now, Gauthier looks to become yet another Arizona native to make an impact in the professional ranks.
Gauthier will embark on his hockey career in Anaheim not too far from where he originally grew up as he should continue to shed light onto Arizona long into the future.