Former Carolina Hurricanes first-round pick Julien Gauthier will take his talents overseas for the 2026-27 season. Gauthier has signed a one-year contract with the SHL’s Brynas IF. This move will shift Gauthier’s focus after a series of injury-riddled seasons dating back to 2023.
Gauthier appeared in just 25 AHL games in the 2025-26 season. His year began with the Bridgeport Islanders – but he didn’t get into the lineup until mid-November, after recovering from the season-ending injury sustained in the 2024-25 campaign.
Gauthier fell out of the lineup with another injury just three games after his return. He wouldn’t work back into the nightly lineup until February. After totaling 11 games with Bridgeport around those injuries, Gauthier was traded to the St. Louis Blues in a minor-league swap.
He finished his season with 14 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds and totaled just 12 points on the year.
The performance was a quiet comeback after he played just 10 games – nine in the AHL and one in the AHL – in 2024-25. He also sat out of a majority of the 2023-24 season, appearing in 17 AHL games and 27 NHL games.
Gauthier has found streaks of scoring around his bad injury luck. He scored 18 points in 26 AHL games between 2023 and 2025 and added nine points in 28 NHL games. He flowed through the fourth-line of the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators in 2022-23, combining for 14 points in 57 NHL games.
Gauthier has lacked a true breakout – and underperformed his draft selection – but could still find his footing with a streak of good health.
That will be the potential that Brynas banks on next season. The club scored the fourth-most goals in the SHL last season, under the lead of former Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg. Gauthier will look to bring the physical punch – while boosting his playmaking – behind Silfverberg.
A strong, and healthy, season could give Gauthier a strong case to return to the NHL in 2027-28.