Cutter Gauthier makes a splash in his Boston College hockey debut

In Boston College men’s hockey’s long history of welcoming blue chip prospects to the Heights, they’ve never had a forward drafted as highly as Cutter Gauthier, this year’s #5 overall pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the NHL draft.

As such, hopes are high that Gauthier is a player who can bring instant offense to a team that needs it.

BC fans had to wait a little bit to see Gauthier make his BC debut, after he missed the Eagles’ first two regular season games.

But Gauthier made it clear last night in his Eagles debut that he’s going to be fun to watch all season long, making an instant impact with a highlight reel goal that gave BC a short-lived 3-2 lead in the third period:

So much of what makes Gauthier an enticing prospect was on display here: the raw speed, the frame that made him so tough to defend (and helped draw a penalty even before he put the puck in the net), the quick release.

Though BC wasn’t able to hang on to the 3-2 lead, Gauthier’s contributions were crucial in what ultimately was a 3-3 tie - a solid result on the road against a top 10/15 team and a quality performance early in the growth process of a young team.

Beyond his goal, Gauthier looked solid throughout, and his line with Colby Ambrosio and Nikita Nesterenko looks to be a dangerous, legit first line that can do some damage in Hockey East. Gauthier had 4 shots on goal, tied for second on the team with Ambrosio, and the line overall combined for 9 shots and 3 points.

BC returns to the ice on Sunday afternoon at home against UNH.