Photo Credit: Eric Bolte/USA Today Images
On Friday, July 15, during Flyers’ Development Camp, I was granted a one-on-one with a new top prospect in the Flyers’ organization. Cutter Gauthier, drafted fifth overall on July 7, was nice enough to answer a few questions about how his life has changed since that Thursday night two weeks ago. Gauthier has some roots in the area but is not highly familiar with the city of Philadelphia. Before too long, that will be the city he calls home.
Has it been fun, the last week for you?
“Yeah, it’s been a dream come true. I’m just unwinding all of the emotions right about now and it’s been a fun, hectic week but I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Is being a pro hockey player something that you’ve wanted to do your whole life or just something that came together over time?
“Yeah, my dad played in the National Hockey League for a little bit of time. I grew up watching him play. Seeing all his old stuff, his old gear, his old jersey, stuff like that really drove my passion to play hockey. It’s been a passion my whole life, growing up and seeing all that. It’s stuck with me since a young age. So, yeah it’s definitely been my passion.”
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Is it your mom that’s from around here?
“Yeah, my mom’s side of the family. My mom’s sister, so my aunt and uncle live out in Reading.”
Have you been out to explore the city at all?
“I haven’t checked out too much of it yet. We had a scavenger hunt on Wednesday, just all over downtown. It was cool to see all the posterboards, all the big towers, and a bit of the city life. It was a fun time checking it out but I haven’t gotten into any city adventures or anything like that yet.”
Have you had a cheesesteak yet?
“I have not had a cheesesteak yet, no. I think the only cheesesteak I’ve ever had was the one from Jersey Mike’s so I’m going to have to up my game when I’m out here, for sure.”
In your draft interviews, what was the strangest question a team asked you?
“I think it was Ottawa. Ottawa asked me if I had any sports betting apps on my phone. It kind of caught me off guard, so it was kind of funky. I’ve heard lots of crazy stories from other guys about questions like that so that was my most funky one.”
Could you talk a little bit about your relationship with Devin Kaplan and what your reaction was like when the Flyers took him?
“Yeah over the past two years, Devin and I became really good friends. We battled day in and day out, and outside of the rink, just spending a lot of time with him. I’m glad to have him here with me. It was day two and I was walking around the rink seeing friends get drafted. I heard “the Philadelphia Flyers select from the US National Team” and I was wondering who it was going to be and I heard Devin and I was super happy. I was jumping up and down. I was pumped to see that we were going to the same organization as me. It was pretty cool, lots of emotions.”
Was there anything the Flyers said that made you think they were going to take you?
“They didn’t really tell too much. I don’t think that teams really give you that clear notation that they’re going to take you or not. They just want to get a better understanding of who you are as a person and how you think the game outside of the rink. I didn’t have an indication that they were taking me, I had a range, speaking with my agent about teams that might. I just didn’t know it would be the Flyers.”
