Tampa Bay Lightning sign Ethan Gauthier to three-year, entry-level contract

The 18-year-old was selected No. 37 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He was the draft pick acquired in the trade with the Colorado Avalanche that sent Ross Colton to Denver. He currently plays for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and has tallied 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 28 games.

The Voltigeurs’ assistant captain ranks third on the club in points. Gauthier is one of four NHL draft picks who plays for the Voltigeurs, the others include Arizona Coyotes prospect Maveric Lamoureux, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Tyler Peddle.

The Phoenix, Arizona native, is in his third season in the QMJHL. Last season while playing for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Gauthier captured the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL’s Best Professional Prospect after scoring 30 goals and 69 points and adding four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 11 QMJHL Playoff contests. In 159 career QMJHL games, Gauthier has collected 61 goals and 138 points with the Phoenix and Voltigeurs.

Drummondville sits tied for first with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL’s Western Conference with a 19-9-3-1 record and 42 points. The Voltigeurs face off against the 2025 Memorial Cup hosts, Rimouski Oceanic, on Friday and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Saturday prior to the CHL stoppage for Christmas Break.

Internationally, Gauthier represented Team Canada at the 2022-23 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and notched a tournament-leading six goals and seven points in five games and helped Canada capture a gold medal.