January Star of the Month: Yanni Gourde

Kevin Flannery

By John Gianfrancesco

Last year, Bolts were beaten with injuries and almost became the Tampa Bay Crunch with all the AHL call ups having to play in the NHL. One of those players, Yanni Gourde. Wearing No. 65, Yanni played wonderfully including an OT snipe vs Chicago that kept the playoff hopes alive.

His energetic and skillful play earned Yanni a 2 year, one-way deal that would pay him $1 million each year. For a kid that went undrafted in almost every draft he was in and who almost quit hockey, an NHL deal is a dream come true. Its February now, he’s Bay Bolts star of the month & that deal seems insulting now. Yanni has been playing lights out all season. From 2nd line winger to 3rd line center and now 1st line catalyst, he doesn’t do much wrong. A relentless forechecker and someone who loves the dirty areas and isn’t afraid to mix it up. Standing up for teammates or just getting in your face, his 5’9 stature can fool you at first. And yes, he will always leave a goal or a scrum, smiling and laughing.

In January, Yanni scored 6 goals and had 8 points in January. With all the star power in Tampa, Yanni is showing he deserves to be in that conversation as he sits 5th in points with 41 and 3rd ranked on the team for power play goals with 6.

Yanni G is definitely a dark horse for the Calder. He isn’t a high draft pick or a highly touted NCAA prospect but he is having a sensational year going from AHL to NHL and ranks 3rd in rookie scoring this season. A fan favorite in Tampa and his name growing around the league, Yanni has definitely been a huge and pleasant surprise.

Normally there would be some runner ups and there are but all in all, Yanni G deserves this accolade and this is his time. Go Bolts!