Sheng Peng
Adam Gaudette, at least, knows that he’s playing well.
Gaudette has been healthy scratched for the last three games, but it doesn’t seem performance-based.
The center-winger has 13 goals, fifth on the San Jose Sharks. He actually leads the Sharks with 1.3 5-on-5 Goals Per 60, just ahead of more celebrated teammates, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s 1.19.
Gaudette is back in the line-up on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, his first game since the Olympic break.
No doubt, this is a frustrating situation for Gaudette, but credit to him, he really doesn’t show it. The 29-year-old shared how he’s stayed so positive through stops with the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators, and San Jose organizations.
“I’ve just been through a lot of shit, and I think that’s what forms people, is when you go through shit and you come out of it stronger and learn things,” Gaudette said. “I’ve always looked at it as a learning experience and to never get too down or never get too high.”
“Adam’s done a hell of a job of showing up everyday,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s a pro. It’s a tough spot, right? We’re trying to develop some young players up front. He’s played some really good hockey for us. He’s a guy that can move up and down your line-up, can play center, can play the wing, he can rip it, he can score.”
Gaudette spoke candidly with San Jose Hockey Now last week, about the “shit” he’s been through, his lines of communication with Warsofsky, how he wants to raise his game, and who he complains to when he’s frustrated.
“We’re in a unique situation as an organization,” Warsofsky said. “We’re trying to develop some players. We’re also trying to win critical hockey games down the stretch, where we didn’t think we were going to be where we are.”
Adam Gaudette, on if he was told why he was sat by coaching staff:
It’s just the way it goes sometimes. There’s a lot of young guys on this team. It sucks, but I’m not going to sit here and pout about it, I’m going to do extra and make sure I’m ready and have fun while doing it. There’s no good way of putting it. Everybody wants to play, nobody wants to sit, and it does suck, but I’m not getting down. I’m still having fun out there in practice and I have extra time to work on things. When I get the chance to play again, I’ll be ready.
Gaudette, on his season so far:
I think I’ve been having a really good year. I think I’m capable of doing more, I think I have another level or two of my game, I just need to get an opportunity to prove that, and I think it’ll come here soon, so I’m just getting ready for it.
Gaudette, on what the next level he’s trying to achieve is:
I think just being used in some more situations. Taking more faceoffs, being trusted a little more and relied upon. I think in doing that, I put more pucks in the back of the net. I’m an opportunistic guy—I get more opportunities, I’m going to do more with it, so that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking to put a staple in my career and really be known as an NHL player, and not just “Oh, he had a good year. Can he do it again?” I think I’m capable of doing more, so I’m just working towards that, and when the opportunity arrives, I’ll just take advantage of it.
Gaudette, on whether he feels it’s difficult to keep a positive outlook:
It’s definitely something I developed and worked at, but I’m a pretty happy guy, and I just love playing hockey. Being out there shooting pucks, whatever it is, that’s what I love to do. I have no problem coming to work every day and working on what I love.
Gaudette, on how he developed a positive mindset:
I’ve just been through a lot of shit, and I think that’s what forms people, is when you go through shit and you come out of it stronger and learn things. I’ve always looked at it as a learning experience and to never get too down or never get too high. I believe in myself probably more than anybody else believes in me. With that belief, I have the confidence that I could be an impactful player and get to where I think I am capable of getting to.
Gaudette, on examples of his struggles and how he came through the other side:
A couple of years ago, I was cut in Toronto and got sent down to the AHL where I thought I was going to have a spot on that [NHL] team and be able to take my game to the next level. I was sent down and I spent the whole year in the A and was traded that year to another AHL team and spent the following year in the A.
After 200 NHL games, that could be a kick in the balls to some guys—and it was, for sure—but I viewed it as a way to get better, and I knew I would get back there if I just did the right things and worked on what I needed to work on, and that’s exactly what happened.
I lit up the league the following year [with 44 goals]—I wasn’t just scoring goals, I was taking faceoffs, playing on the PK, playing defensive minutes, and rounded out my game. I feel as though I can do that here, and I’m just working to get that opportunity. When that opportunity comes, I’m going to take it and never look back.
Gaudette, on how he approaches the league now:
I always have the feeling in the back of my mind that I’m scrapping to stay in this league, so I really want to take advantage and really prove to the league and our coaches and management that I have a lot more in the tank and I can be a really impactful player and a player that a coach loves to coach. My whole career I’ve kind of just been that hard-working, keep your head down, keep going to work, and when times get tough, tough it out. That’s how I was raised.
I’m not going to sit there and mope—I might complain to my wife, but that’s about it. I’m still extremely lucky to be in the position that I’m in, so coming to work extra time on the ice, I love that shit. I do it all summer. It’s fun. When I’m in a situation like this, I try to take this time to hone in on some things. I’ve been shooting a lot of pucks just to get that feeling back of seeing the puck go in the net, and I know when I get into that situation in a game, I’m gonna put that puck in.
Gaudette, on whether he expected a situation like this with the San Jose Sharks, when he signed his two-year contract:
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation, so I think I always expected it, in a way. This is how I’m viewed, as a versatile guy, but my goal is to prove that I’m more than that, that I’m a solid third-line secondary scoring option. I think that’s my game.
I don’t think I fit the fourth-line role, but I can play that style, and that’s what they see. I mean, they brought me in here to be a versatile player, and that’s what I’ve been, but as a competitor—as somebody who wants to win—I want more for myself, but I think in doing that, it’s going to help. I can help the team win too.
I’ve had good conversations with Warso, and we’ve been open with each other, which is great. I feel comfortable talking to him. He’s done a good job of letting me know that I’m doing the right things and to just stick with it, and when I get that opportunity, to take full advantage of it so I can hopefully be a guy that’s relied upon in playoff games and coming down late in the season and end of games. I want to be a guy that can really help this team win.