Adam Gaudette feels more comfortable in San Jose.

The new San Jose Sharks forward inked a two-year, $4-million contract this summer. It’s Gaudette’s first multi-year deal since his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

“It was what we were looking for, just to have some sense of stability,” Gaudette shared at training camp today. “Since my rookie deal, it’s every summer been a little stressful. Trying to find a place to play, trying to find the spot that fits [with] playing time and making the team. I was thrilled to get this contract. It’s a great contract, but I’m still betting on myself to succeed and outperform my contract. Hopefully stay here for many years and earn another one.”

Since he entered the NHL in 2018, Gaudette has bounced around the Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators organizations.

“Last year, I was in a hotel for two weeks without my family and we didn’t get into a place until November or December,” Gaudette shared. This year?

Gaudette and wife Micaela have been able to settle in for weeks in San Jose.

“It’s a lot less stress on my wife when I’m able to help out,” Gaudette said. “We do it together, we get the kid in school, we get them adjusted to the time change, and everybody’s sleeping well, which is great.”

In 2022-23 and 2023-24, Gaudette was almost solely in the AHL. He put up 44 goals and 71 points in 67 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds in an impressive 2023-24 campaign. It helped his confidence tremendously.

“Those two years that I spent down in the AHL, I really got to focus on rounding out my game defensively, [with] faceoffs, and all the things that I was getting criticized [for] at the NHL level. I found my scoring touch down there … Just having the confidence that I belong in this league, I can score goals in this league, and be put in different situations. [I can] be trusted in the [defensive] zone, and finally made my way onto the penalty kill.”

While Gaudette was drafted as a center, he has often played winger in the NHL. At training camp, the San Jose Sharks have had Gaudette center an apparent bottom-six line with Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves on the wings.

“Definitely comfortable with that,” Gaudette shared. “I’ve been a center my whole life. Once I got to the NHL, I got pushed to the wing early in my career. I think that was good for me to have a little diversity in my game. I’m comfortable on the wing or at center and but, I think I feel more comfortable at center. I have gotten better at faceoffs. I think that I can really fit in that spot and do a good job there.”

Gaudette has steadily improved his faceoff numbers in each of his NHL campaigns. Last season, when he was a fourth-line center for the Senators’ first playoff berth since 2016-17, he cleared 50 percent of faceoffs for the first time in his career.

“It goes back to my days in Vancouver with Manny Malhotra,” Gaudette said. “I started really working with him. Guys like Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter back then, were good faceoff guys and righties. I learned a lot from them. What also helped is maturing and getting stronger physically. It just allowed me to be stronger in the dot. I finally found a rhythm that works for me and how I like to take my draws. I just focus on that instead of thinking about what the other guy’s doing in the draw.

“I always knew I could do it,” Gaudette said. “Once I finally got that opportunity in Ottawa, I was fighting for that fourth line center role, and I grabbed it and just ran with it.”

Now, Gaudette hopes the San Jose Sharks can take a step towards the playoffs, how he and the Senators did last season. The Senators had lots of young, offensive talent like the Sharks do.

“We just need to tighten up our defensive game more,” Gaudette concluded. “[If] everybody buys in, from the first line down to the fourth line, and we’re all doing the same things and the right things out there, we’re going to have a lot of success. Because this team could score goals. It’s the defense that gets you into the playoffs.”

Watch the full interview here