Goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier has signed a one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
This signing comes after the Pittsburgh Penguins opted to not extend a qualifying offer to Gauthier as a pending restricted free agent on Monday with regards to his NHL rights. That decision allowed Gauthier to become an unrestricted free agent.
Gauthier, 24, just completed a three-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Undrafted, Gauthier has spent the past three seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organization, primarily with Wheeling of the ECHL.
While injuries hobbled him a bit in 2024-25, he did post strong numbers with Wheeling, appearing in 30 games while compiling an 18-10-2 record with a 2.06 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and two shutouts.
❌ NO GOAL FOR YOU! ❌
Taylor Gauthier with the CLUTCH denial midway through the 3rd period to protect the 3-2 Nailers lead! #ForgeTheFuture pic.twitter.com/nVcFmH7iPI
— x – Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) April 12, 2025
He also played in a single AHL game during the regular season, posting a shutout by making 32 saves in a 3-0 home win against the Cleveland Monsters on April 19.
His most successful professional campaign came in 2023-24 when he was named the ECHL’s Goaltender of the Year. In 42 games that season, he had a 24-16-1 record, a 2.23 goals against average, a .923 save percentage and four shutouts.
The right-catching Gauthier (6-foot-2, 208 pounds) opted to remain with the organization — albeit under an AHL contract — despite being lower on the depth chart behind more highly-touted prospects at the position such as Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov as well as veteran Filip Larsson, all of whom are signed to NHL contracts.
In addition to Gauthier, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed forward Aidan McDonough to a one-year AHL contract on Wednesday.
McDonough, 25, struggled with injuries during the 2024-25 season but was productive. In 16 games with the Charlotte Checkers, the left-handed McDonough (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) scored 16 points (10 goals, six assists).
A seventh-round draft pick (No. 195 overall) of the Vancouver Canucks in 2019, McDonough skated in six games for that club and scored a single goal during the 2022-23 season.
