Film Room: Nathan Gaucher is definitely an NHLer

There are always a few players in every draft class that you can point to and say, "He's definitely an NHLer."

Nathan Gaucher is one of them. This season, one could easily picture him playing the same style of game in some of the biggest arenas in the world. 

Power and speed, when combined, are very intimidating. As Gaucher barrelled down the neutral-zone, this season, defenders knew that closing their gap on him wouldn't be enough to fully stop him. By chipping the puck past them, he could turn a foot race into a hard close-quarter battle, one that he would often win due to his strength and overall build.

Gaucher's board game is one of the more advanced in the class. Let's dive into that first. 

As he approaches a puck on the wall, he first takes care of the opponent's stick. He moves them out of the way, with his own or by skating through it. He would accomplish that by leaning toward the opponent, lowering his shoulder, and then ramming it through the opponent's hands, ensuring that he gets the first touch on the disc. 

This kind of technique is accessible to every player in the draft, but the difference is that Gaucher has the strength to not only slip in front of opponents, but also to push them back as he does it. 

With reverse hits, he creates a little bit more room to dig the puck off the wall and move it cleanly to a teammate, with his stick or skate.