On Saturday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had recalled forward Jacob Gaucher from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, along with defenseman Emil Andrae.
Gaucher, who signed an entry-level contract with the organization in December of 2024, said that he received the news “on the phone two nights ago” and that he’s “pretty excited” for his first look at the NHL level.
“It feels nice,” he added. “It was a long road [to get here]…I’m really happy and proud… [My] first call-up—it’s like a dream come true. I worked really hard for this, and it feels really nice.”
During a press conference on Saturday, Flyers GM Danny Briere spoke about Gaucher’s call-up, saying that the young forward’s path to the NHL was “a wonderful story,” describing how the 23-year-old went from being undrafted, to earning time in the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, before working his way up to the AHL and impressing the Flyers’ brass with his performances.
“We’re really excited about [him],” Briere said. “He played big time, big minutes, and scored a big goal last year in Lehigh Valley…and just proved to be one of our better [AHL] players in the first half of the season…He’s a big center that just keeps getting better.
“With the current situation, we wanted to give him a look. [He’s] someone who never quit, kept working and improving, and has been a late bloomer. It’s a great story and I can’t wait to see him play. He was really impressive; he had a really good training camp and played really well in the exhibition games.”
Gaucher has prioritized improving his game with the Phantoms after a promising showing at the Flyers’ summer training camps, saying, “I think getting some experience down there and some confidence goes a long way. [I’ve been] working to score some goals at the start of the year and then I kept going, kept working on my game, and I think I’m getting better every day, which is the goal.”
While being in an NHL squad for the first time can be daunting for any player, Gaucher highlighted the benefits of having a number of guys he played on the Phantoms with up in the Flyers squad with him, including Andrae and fellow forward Anthony Richard.
“I think it helps for the transition a little bit,” he said. “Guys from the AHL [are] around, so it feels a little more comfortable.”
The six-foot-three center is expected to make his debut on Feb. 2, when the Flyers travel out to Denver to face off against the Colorado Avalanche.
To make the occasion of his NHL debut even more special, he mentioned that he will “actually have family coming to Colorado for the game, so it should be a fun time.”
Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News
While his physical presence, strong passing abilities, and penchant for showing up big in clutch moments (most notably scoring a series-clinching overtime goal against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 2 of the first round of the Atlantic Division’s playoffs), Gaucher is already having an impact off the ice, joining the group of French-Canadians that is slowly growing in the Flyers’ locker room.
Just over a week ago, Anthony Richard jokingly lamented how Rodrigo Abols, another AHL call-up, could speak four languages, but French wasn’t one of them. Now, as overheard in the locker room on Saturday, Richard and Gaucher, along with Flyers captain Sean Couturier, can converse in French in the locker room.
“We’ve also got a lot of French guys in Lehigh Valley!” Gaucher laguhed. “[Richard] is here with me, so it’s nice to have a friend around here.”
Related: Emil Andrae Seizing Opportunity To Prove His Place With Flyers
Related: Siobhan’s Opinion: Why Anthony Richard Deserves Another Long Look in the Flyers’ Lineup
