CalgaryFlames.com takes a closer look at some of our young prospects – today, it’s Glenn Gawdin.
It’s all there for the taking.
Glenn Gawdin just has to seize the opportunity that lies in front of him firmly in his grasp.
It’s been an unconventional route to the NHL for the centre, going unsigned by the team that drafted him before catapulting himself up the prospect charts and into the Flames lineup. A fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2015, Gawdin used his over-age season with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos to earn himself a chance within Calgary’s organization.
On the heels of an impressive final junior campaign that included 125 points in 67 regular-season games and then Most Valuable Player distinction in the finals en route to winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup, the Richmond, B.C., native headed to Stockton.
In year one, he earned the trust of the coaches, growing his role on the team throughout his rookie season. In year two, he earned league honors, skating in the AHL All-Star Classic. In year three, he earned NHL ice time.
Nothing given, always earned.
“With St. Louis, I had to prove them wrong,” said Gawdin. “I’ve had to prove myself everywhere I went. Even that first year in Stockton, I had to earn the coaches’ trust to get those minutes. I didn’t come in with a top-six role. I had to earn everything I got. That hasn’t done anything but help me, all that extra practice time, all the extra video time with Domenic Pittis and Cail (MacLean), it’s paid off but there’s still a lot more to do.”
There’s not much flash in Gawdin’s game, but he’s heavy on blue-collar work ethic and 200-foot responsibility. He’s capable of piling up points, but in his third professional season – splitting time between the Flames and the farm club – he aimed to iron out the details.
The small things, he’s learned, are what make the difference between those who reach the NHL and those who stick.
“After those first couple games with Calgary, I came down after that and that was the biggest feedback I got (from Flames coaches),” he said. “The small things matter so much. Being a younger guy, playing those minutes and playing those games, you have to be very detail-oriented. The little things make such a difference.”
All signs point to those lessons sinking in.
Gawdin made his NHL debut on Feb. 20 against the Edmonton Oilers, seeing 12 shifts and just north of six minutes of ice time. He appeared in five games with the Flames before coming back to Stockton for some seasoning before rejoining the big club late in the season, where he skated in two games down the stretch.
Two-and-a-half months after his last action with Calgary, Gawdin saw his largest NHL workload to date with 16 shifts, notching an assist and a plus-1 rating in his return to the lineup.
In between his spins on NHL ice, Gawdin finished with the third-best scoring clip among Heat forwards, trailing only Adam Ruzicka and Matthew Phillips. He also was third among forwards on the farm team in assist total and he notched a game-winning goal in a shortened season, all while putting added emphasis on his play away from the puck.
The task ahead for Gawdin is now clear, with only one box left to check on his upswing. He established himself as a top player in the AHL, got a call-up in year two, and NHL ice time in year three. He’s putting in the sweat equity this offseason to not just appear in a Flames sweater again next year, but to become a regular contributor for the big club.
He knows that no matter how his resume reads, it’s not an opportunity that will be given to him, rather one that, similar to everything he’s had his whole career, must be earned.
“Life in the NHL this past year was a little different than I imagined it, with COVID and everything else. Even with all of that, it was a cool experience and a dream come true. The seven games I had this year, I got a taste of the NHL. It’s a taste you like. It’s where you want to be.
“I’m working this summer to stay there full time.”