Cutter Gauthier, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, was traded to the Anaheim Ducks by the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Gauthier has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 17 games for Boston College this season. The 19-year-old was also named the best forward at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, when he had 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in seven games to help the United States win the gold medal.
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said Gauthier expressed an unwillingness to play for them as early as last May.
“It was a long time coming,” Briere said during the first intermission of Philadelphia’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. “It’s been going on for a while. We tried to give him space. We tried to get in touch with him many times; they would not communicate as far as the Gauthier side. So, at some point we had to make a decision and we thought with what happened just a few days ago (leading scorer at WJC), this was our time to probably get the highest value.
“Not very often you get the chance to find a Jamie Drysdale that you can add to your lineup. When that came about and his name was made available, we got really excited. The chance to add a player of this caliber to a premium position as a right-shot defenseman for a left winger just made a lot of sense, and we felt it was the right time to do it.”
Drysdale had five points (one goal, four assists) in 10 games with Anaheim this season. He missed 29 games from Oct. 16-Dec. 20 because of a lower-body injury.
Selected by the Ducks with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old defenseman has 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) in 123 NHL games.
“When I look at our system, our organization and the depth of our system, we do not have a player like this in our organization,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said of Gauthier. …. “When I discussed with our amateur scouts, there’s not a player like this coming, so two years down the road in his development, he should be able to come in and play in the NHL. That all went into this decision. … There’s certain times when you want to shake things up, this wasn’t the case. This was a need case, in my view.”
Philadelphia (20-13-6) is third in the Metropolitan Division; Anaheim (13-25-1) is seventh in the Pacific Division.
“We were hoping that at some point he would change his mind,” Briere said of Gauthier. “He had already changed his mind. He looked at us at the draft and told us he was built to be a Flyer, wanted to be a Flyer, and then a few maybe months later told us that he didn’t want to be a Flyer, didn’t want to play for the Flyers. So, in our mind at first, we said we have to protect him because if he changes his mind again and it’s out there that he doesn’t want to play, it’s going to be tough for him to put the uniform on. But when we realized that they refuse to talk to us now, it’s been months, he didn’t want to be a Flyer, didn’t want to be in Philadelphia, it was time to make it happen.”
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and independent correspondent Dan Arritt contributed to this report
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
