Brendan Gaunce
Brendan Gaunce | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 25, 1994 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Ice hockey forward |
| Known for | Playing for Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL |
Brendan Gaunce (born March 25, 1994) is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Internationally, Gaunce has represented Canada, securing gold at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and bronze at the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships. Additionally, he won gold while playing for Ontario at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Early life
Brendan was born in Sudbury, Ontario to parents Stephen and Julie Gaunce and was raised in Markham, Ontario. He has two siblings, including his older brother Cameron Gaunce, who was chosen in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and currently competes with the Ontario Reign in the AHL. Brendan attended Markham District High School, where he played hockey predominantly on defence and earned a spot on the Toronto Star High School Hockey All-Star First Team. He also captained the Markham Waxers Minor Midget squad, achieving 55 goals and 148 points over 86 games during the 2009–10 season.
Junior
In 2010, Gaunce led all minor midget players in Ontario in scoring and was drafted second overall by the Belleville Bulls in the OHL Priority Draft. He made his OHL debut in the 2010–11 season, quickly establishing himself with several multi-point outings and finishing with 11 goals and 36 points, placing him 13th among rookies league-wide.
During his sophomore year, Gaunce served as an alternate captain and earned OHL Player of the Week honors following a productive scoring streak. He wrapped up that season with totals of 28 goals and 40 assists across 68 games and was Belleville’s nominee for the Bobby Smith Trophy recognizing scholastic excellence. Ahead of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he was ranked as the 13th best North American skater and considered the top Canadian forward. Although anticipated to be selected in the mid-first round, he was ultimately picked 26th overall by Vancouver, who had specifically targeted him. On November 26, 2013, Gaunce was traded to the Erie Otters.
Professional
Gaunce spent all of the 2014–15 campaign with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. After being released late from Canucks' training camp in 2015, he began that season again with Utica before receiving a recall on October 28, 2015. He made his NHL debut on October 29 and scored his first NHL goal one day later. Shortly afterward, he was sent back to Utica but returned to Vancouver in March 2016 to complete that NHL season.
For the 2016–17 season, Gaunce secured a spot on Vancouver’s opening roster for the first time and recorded his initial NHL assist in October. On August 9, 2017, he agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $1.5 million with the Canucks. However, a foot injury in February caused him to miss several weeks.
After five seasons with Vancouver without receiving a qualifying offer, Gaunce signed a one-year two-way contract valued at $700,000 with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2019. During that year, he appeared in one NHL game registering an assist and played in 52 AHL contests for Providence Bruins where he tallied 18 goals and 19 assists.
Facing limited NHL opportunities afterward, Gaunce joined Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League on January 2, 2021. He quickly adapted to European hockey and played a key role in Växjö’s SHL Championship triumph through notable regular-season and playoff contributions.
Returning stateside mid-2021, Gaunce signed a one-year two-way deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 30. He later extended his contract with Columbus for two years at $1.525 million total in June 2022.
Following three seasons with Columbus, Gaunce inked a two-year two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild starting July 1, 2024. One year into this agreement, he was traded back to Columbus in exchange for Cameron Butler.
International competition
Gaunce made his international debut at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge playing for Team Ontario. Following initial victories, he contributed an assist on a crucial goal during a 4–3 win against Team West, which secured Ontario's place in the semifinals. He then scored two goals in a 4–2 triumph over Team Pacific, earning the distinction of player of the game. Ontario progressed to the championship match, where Gaunce scored once more in a 5–3 victory.
Later that year, Gaunce represented Canada at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Despite a loss to Sweden in the opening game, Canada advanced to the semifinals and shut out Russia 5–0, with Gaunce assisting on one of the goals. In the final, he both scored and assisted as Canada defeated Sweden 4–1, capturing their fourth straight gold medal.
During the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships, Gaunce recorded two goals in the first period and added an assist in Canada's 6–2 win over the Czech Republic, earning player of the game honors. After finishing third in their group with a 2–2 record, Canada overcame Russia 4–2 in the quarterfinals but fell 2–1 to the United States in the semifinals; despite not scoring, Gaunce was named Canada's player of the game. In the bronze medal contest against Finland, he earned a penalty shot and netted a shorthanded goal in a 5–4 win, securing the bronze medal for Canada.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Markham Waxers AAA | ETA U16 | 86 | 55 | 93 | 148 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 65 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 68 | 28 | 40 | 68 | 68 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 60 | 33 | 27 | 60 | 44 | 17 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 2013–14 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 22 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Erie Otters | OHL | 43 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 32 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 16 | ||
| 2014–15 | Utica Comets | AHL | 74 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 31 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 2015–16 | Utica Comets | AHL | 46 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 57 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 33 | |||||||
| 2017–18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 37 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 189 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Canada Ontario | U17 | Template:Gold1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18 | |
| 2011 | Canada | IH18 | Template:Gold1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Canada | U18 | Template:Bronze3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior career totals | 18 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 28 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2012 | |
| SHL | ||
| Le Mat Trophy (Växjö Lakers) | 2021 | |