Boston College forward and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier will remain at school for his sophomore season.
Despite a tremendous year with Boston College that likely made Daniel Briere and the Flyers consider the possibility of him turning pro, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned the high likelihood of Gauthier staying another year with the Eagles on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast earlier on Friday, and then he tweeted the report of him staying later in the day.
Gauthier also made his announcement that he was coming back Friday on his Instagram account as well.
Gauthier, the Flyers’ first-round draft pick and 5th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, enjoyed a stellar freshman season with Boston College. The 19-year-old racked up 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 32 games for the Eagles.
Gauthier led Boston College outright in goals, points, power play goals (7) and was tied for the team-lead in assists alongside 2019 Minnesota Wild draft pick and current Anaheim Ducks forward Nikita Nesterenko.
Boston College recorded a 14-16-6 mark during the regular season, including an 8-11-5 record in Hockey East play. Gauthier’s 8-seeded Eagles defeated 9-seeded Massachusetts 5-2 in the Opening Round of the Hockey East Tournament before bowing out to 2-seeded and eventual tournament runner-up Merrimack in the Quarterfinals in double-overtime, 1-0.
Gauthier’s 37 points ranked 5th among all Hockey East scorers, and 11 behind conference leader, former U.S. National Development Team teammate, and Green Line rival Lane Hutson of Boston University. His 16 goals led all Hockey East freshmen and tied for 7th among all NCAA freshmen, and his 37 points ranked 8th nationally among first-year players.
Gauthier also represented the United States at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He racked up 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 7 games as he helped lead the Americans to a bronze medal victory over Sweden and made himself a force to be reckoned with. Among Team USA players in the tournament, Gauthier ranked 3rd in points and was tied for 4th in goals and assists.
Gauthier has progressed well at Boston College, and another year with the Eagles will do him good in his development. He already averaged over a point per game as a freshman, and now he’ll look to completely dominate the college hockey scene next year.
