William Cutter Ruel Gauthier[1] (born January 19, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL entry draft.[2][3]
Gauthier is the son of Canadian former professional goaltender Sean Gauthier, whose career included a brief appearance with the San Jose Sharks. He was born during his father's playing stint in Sweden.[4] Growing up in Arizona, Gauthier's favorite team was the Pittsburgh Penguins[5] and his favorite player was Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby.[6]
Gauthier competed at the 2022 BioSteel All-American Game.[7]
In his freshman season at Boston College, he was the Eagles' leading point and goal scorer, with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 32 games. Gauthier earned All-Rookie team and Third-Team All-Star honors in Hockey East.[8][9]
On January 8, 2024, Gauthier's NHL rights were traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round draft pick.[10] Shortly after the trade announcement, it was reported that Gauthier had refused to sign with the Flyers,[11][12] and Gauthier had stated in an interview the previous month that he did not think being drafted by the Flyers was going to "roll over well," because his favorite team as a child was the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] Later that evening, in response to questions from the press on the matter, Flyers management confirmed that Gauthier had informed the team in May 2023 that he did not intend on signing with the Flyers; although the franchise had waited in hopes that Gauthier would change his mind, the trade was spurred after Gauthier and his representatives had repeatedly refused or ignored Flyers management attempts to contact him for the past few months, including skipping on the team's summer development camp.[13][14] Gauthier received death threats after the trade amid speculation that his decision was related to Flyers head coach John Tortorella or former Flyer Kevin Hayes, but he denied those rumors and stated that it was a "private matter."[15]
At the conclusion of his sophomore season, having led the NCAA with 38 goals and tying the Eagles' record for most goals in a single season in program history, Gauthier ended his collegiate career, signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks on April 14, 2024.[16] Gauthier recorded his first NHL goal on November 15, 2024, beating Alex Lyon of the Detroit Red Wings, boosting his team in a 6-4 victory.[17] In his first full season in the NHL, Gauthier had 20 goals and 24 assists in 82 games. He was named to the league's All-Rookie Team.[18]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2025 Sweden/Denmark | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
|
2024 Sweden | |
 |
2023 Canada | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
 |
2022 Germany | |
Gauthier represented the United States at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics and earned a silver medal.[19] He was then selected to represent the United States at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he recorded three goals and six assists in six games and earned a silver medal.[20]
On December 12, 2022, Gauthier was named to the United States junior team to compete at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[21]
On December 16, 2023, he was again named to junior team's roster to compete at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was named alternate captain of the gold medal-winning team.[22] He led the team in scoring, recording two goals and ten assists in seven games, tying Czech player Jiří Kulich for top scorer in the tournament.[23] He was named the best forward in the directorate awards.[24]
Gauthier represented the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded five goals and four assists in ten games and helped Team USA win their first gold medal since 1933.[25]
Gauthier models his game after Mark Scheifele, Auston Matthews, and Pierre-Luc Dubois.[26]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 45 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 54 | 34 | 31 | 65 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Boston College | HE | 32 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Boston College | HE | 41 | 38 | 27 | 65 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 82 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 83 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U18 | 
|
6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2023 | United States | WJC | 
|
7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2023 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WJC | 
|
7 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2025 | United States | WC |
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 12 | ||||
| Senior totals | 20 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 4 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Hockey East All-Rookie Team | 2023 | [27] |
| All-Hockey East Third Team | ||
| All-Hockey East First Team | 2024 | [28] |
| AHCA East First Team All-American | [29] | |
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2025 | [18] |
| International | ||
| World Junior Championship Best Forward | 2024 | [24] |
| World Junior Championship Media All-Star Team | 2024 | [24] |
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