Marc-Andre Gaudet is a two-way defenseman with puck-moving ability heading up ice, and a grinding shutdown style when in the defensive zone. He logs a lot of minutes, is a steady five-on-five player and on the penalty kill his read and react skills allow him to get into shot lanes and block pucks, use his reach to break up passes and keep tabs on attackers. He is reliable and seems to usually be in great position to take away opponent’s time and space around the crease and he gets under sticks, plays with some grit and can time his coverage to tie guys up and take away their ability to reel-in rebounds. He’s also adept at blocking shots and generally disrupting a lot of high-end scoring chances in and around the paint. He’s strong in one-on-one situations and uses good stick placement and his big sturdy frame. He has a respectable offensive game and will join the rush and activate down the wall to support the cycle which shows a willingness to get involved and attempt to influence the play. His outlet passing is probably his greatest contribution to the offense, though. His ability to begin a breakout before retrieving a dump-in helps greatly at alleviating pressure. He always has a head on a swivel in this regard. He already sees some power play time where he mostly fills the role of a puck distributor, but he still has room to grow his offensive play and there is a lot of untapped potential there it seems like. If he can continue to improve his impact in the offensive zone while still maintaining his steady, effective defensive play, puck acquisition ability and four-way skating, then he has a real opportunity to be a middle-pair defenseman in the AHL or a bottom-four defender in the NHL.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide