Johnny Gaudreau put away the national championship for Boston College with a highlight-reel goal, but his qualifications for honors as the nation’s top rookie started well before that.
Gaudreau has been named USCHO’s rookie of the year for the 2011-12 season, and a strong stretch run was one of his primary selling points.
Gaudreau, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound forward, led all NCAA Division I freshmen in scoring with 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists).
At the holiday break, he had seven goals and 14 points in 18 games. After, he pushed past a point per game, with 14 goals and 31 points in 26 games.
Gaudreau had seven power-play goals for the season and five goals were game winners. He had 12 multi-point games, including a four-point outing against North Dakota in just his second collegiate game.
The Hockey East player of the month for March after notching a team-high 10 points in eight games, he gave BC a 3-1 lead late in the national championship game against Ferris State.
A native of Carneys Point, N.J., Gaudreau earned Hockey East playoff MVP honors after he registered seven points in four wins. Gaudreau tallied at least one point in six of eight games and recorded multiple points three times.
During the 2010-11 season, Gaudreau won a USHL Clark Cup championship with the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints before getting drafted in the fourth round (104th overall) by the Calgary Flames at the 2011 NHL entry draft.
USCHO’s awards were selected by staff members at the Frozen Four. They include the All-USCHO teams released Tuesday and choices for the top coach and player coming later this week.
