Brendan Gaunce
Ht/Wt: 6′ 2″/205 lbs
Position: C
Team: Belleville (OHL)
Brendan Gaunce’s Player Profile
via mynhldraft.com
Brendan Gaunce has great vision, skating ability, hockey sense, a pro calibre shot, and unbelievable leadership qualities on and off the ice. He is the younger brother of Colorado Avalanche prospect Cameron Gaunce, and will most likely be selected in the first twenty picks of the 2012 NHL Draft. He was the highest-scoring AAA minor midget hockey player in Ontario in his OHL draft year with 55 goals and 93 assists for 148 points in 86 games with the Markham Waxers. In his rookie year with the Belleville Bulls, Gaunce had 36 points in 65 games, and will be relied on heavily in the 2011-2012 season. One of Brendan’s role models growing up was Brendan Shanahan. Considering his size, Gaunce is an above average skater, however it will need to be improved to be a star at the next level.
Submitted by: David O’Connor
via thescoutingreport.org
Gaunce is never going to be the type of player to wow you with dynamic offensive flair, but you can rest assured he brings more than enough to the table. As one of the top two-way forwards in the draft, Gaunce has developed into a player that a coach can feel confident in putting on the ice in any situation. He has good size and competes hard, winning lots of puck battles and being a difficult player to contain. His game is centered around his ability to do the little things and his intangibles, such as leadership, are qualities that separate him from others. Gaunce is still a very capable offensive player and has a good scoring touch, especially around the net. His skating still needs to improve, but his game has a lot of parallels to Ryan O’Reilly at the same age.
Related Links:
via hockeysfuture: 2012 Prospects: Brendan Gaunce fast becoming complete player