Former Vancouver Canucks prospect Brendan Gaunce had a game to remember on Wednesday in the AHL. During Iowa Wild’s 5-0 win over the Rockford IceHogs, the 2012 first-round pick scored a hat trick, pushing his point total to 14 in 19 games this season. While scoring a hat trick isn’t out of the ordinary, it was the way he completed the three-goal effort that was on the bizarre side.
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With just under four minutes left in the second period, Gaunce cleared the puck from his own goal line to alleviate some pressure. Instead of going for an icing, the puck got past IceHogs goaltender Mitchell Weeks. The goal was very unexpected and will most likely be played on sports blooper reels for years to come.
After leaving the Canucks in 2019, Gaunce spent time with both the Boston Bruins organization as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets. During his career, he has played 177 games at the NHL level as well as 362 in the AHL. This past offseason, he signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Wild and currently leads their AHL affiliate in points. Now 30, Gaunce was drafted 26th overall by Vancouver in 2012, suiting up for 117 NHL games during his Canucks career.
