When it wasn’t Cutter Gauthier scoring, it was fellow Philadelphia Flyers prospect Cole Knuble lighting the lamp at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
Knuble had two goals and Gauthier had a goal and an assist as Team White defeated Team Blue, 7-3, in a matchup Wednesday between the two American teams at Plymouth, Mich.
Devin Kaplan, the third Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect in the event, had an assist for the Blue team, which is 1-2 in the round-robin tournament. Team White is 2-1. The Showcase is an event for players to audition for the World Juniors championships at the end of the year.
The Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis tweeted: “Cutter Gauthier scored so fast off a faceoff that the camera didn’t catch it.”
That Gauthier goal tied the score at 1-1.
Ellis wrote after the game: “I’ve run out of things to describe watching Gauthier at this camp. He’s a man among kids. Dominant. A step above the rest.”
Knuble Tough at Net
About Knuble, Ellis wrote: “Knuble’s specialty is dominating around the net, and getting close and jamming in pucks is exactly how he scored both.
“The first was a nice tip, and the second was from a 2-on-1 with Charlie Stramel. Not bad for a player drafted by the Flyers as an overager.”
Knuble was drafted in the 2023 fourth round, 103rd overall. Gauthier was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft. Kaplan was drafted in the 2022 third round, 69th overall.
Each USA team has one more game to play. Team Blue plays Sweden at 1 p.m. Friday. Team White plays Finland at 4 p.m.
A quick note: Former Flyers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck is Team USA’s general manager and assistant executive director of hockey operations.
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