Philly Hockey Now

Cutter Gauthier, a center/left winger who will be chosen in the first round in Thursday’s NHL draft, was born in Sweden — where his father, Sean, a goaltender, was playing professionally — but moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., when he was two years old. More recently, he has blossomed into a star for the heralded USDP, and his next stop is Boston College, where he could emerge as the team’s No. 1 center as a freshman. After that, he might be in Philly if his name is called by the Philadelphia Flyers with the No. 5 overall pick Thursday in Montreal. If there are no surprises in the draft’s first four picks, the Flyers will have several talented players on the board when they select, including Gauthier and defenseman David Jiricek.