The camp may be virtual, but the opportunity represents a significant step on Taylor Gauthier’s quest for Canada’s World Junior team.
The Prince George Cougars goaltender has been invited to Hockey Canada’s national junior team summer development camp set for July 27 to 31 along with 40 other players from across the country in hopes of impressing the coaches for the 2021 tournament.
Gauthier is one of five netminders attending the virtual training sessions, three of which represent the WHL, and is the oldest of them all at 19 years old.
The 2021 World Juniors are scheduled to face-off in Edmonton/Red Deer & Gauthier represents Calgary, so possibly looking to add some home-province flare to 🇨🇦 come November/December | #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/FW5tA1ZMTc
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) June 16, 2020
“Taylor has developed into a premier goaltender in our league and has a proven track record with Hockey Canada,” said Cougars’ General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb in a team release.
“His invitation is a reflection on the hard work he’s put in this past season.”
The Calgary, Alta. product recently attended Hockey Canada’s national goaltending camp, also online, along with the same four other goaltenders invited to the summer session as of yesterday (June 16).
This includes Kamloops Blazers’ Dylan Garand, Edmonton Oil Kings’ Sebastian Cossa, London Knights’ Brett Brochu and Saginaw Spirit’s Tristan Lennox.
There are also 15 players from the WHL invited to this year’s Canada’s summer camp, including four from the B.C. Division.
Gauthier boasts an impressive resume in a Canadian national team sweater, such as the gold medal-winning goaltender for the 2018 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Under-18 Championship.
He also participated in a maple leaf at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
The right-handed catcher also touted a personal-best 2.93 goals-against average from the (shortened) 2019-20 season, was second in the WHL with 1,537 saves and 1,677 shots-faced and earned a goaltender of the week nod in late January.
Gauthier is ranked 19th among North American netminders by NHL Central Scouting and is still eligible for the 2020 draft, which is currently postponed due to COVID-19.
The 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships remain scheduled to face-off in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta. later this winter.
