Taylor Gauthier has been the hottest netminder in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
By coincidence, his mid-season form comes around the same time when the Prince George Cougar was putting on a clinic exactly one year and two weeks ago.
Gauthier has been named Goaltender of the Week ending Sunday (Jan. 26) by the WHL and its representatives, marking nearly 380 days since he was last given the honour in the 2018-19 campaign.
This past weekend in a 1-1 split between the pipes against the Kamloops Blazers, the 18-year-old posted a 1.50 goals-against average (GAA) and a 0.963 save-percentage (SV%), combining for 77 saves on 80 shots.
This time last year, Gauthier had a 1.26 goals-against-average (GAA) and a 0.951 save-percentage (SV%) over four games, including two shutouts, leading to his first-ever Goaltender of the Week recognition.
In comparison to other WHL crease-monkeys, the Calgary product sits fourth with 1,066 saves on 1,162 shots through 35 games as the starter and has one shutout in his 2019-20 campaign.
Gauthier was recently ranked 27th among North American netminders in the NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term report.
He was seventh on the final list before getting passed over in the 2019 draft, but remains eligible for this summer’s selection.
The Prince George Cougars continue their six-game homestand this Friday (Jan. 31) and Saturday (Feb. 1) when they host the Tri-City Americans at the CN Centre.
