The Washington Capitals view – David Gucciardi – It’s all about preparation. Preparing for Games and Practices Whatever the case, the 2022 Round 7 draft pick is preparing both mentally and physically.
“Anytime you’re here in Washington, you’re really lucky. I’m so grateful to be here and it’s so much fun. They treat you like a pro,” Gucciardi said. “There are a lot of really good resources that we have, so just try to use them as much as possible.”
The 213rd pick concluded his 2022 sophomore season at Michigan State this spring. The Spartans took a huge step forward under first year head coach Adam Nightingale, going 18-18-2 overall and 9-11-3 in conference play, which was fifth in conference.
The left defender had 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 36 games, which was one point shy of tying his rookie season total. He also led Michigan State with three consecutive home runs and was third on the team with 46 home runs.
Now that he’s a top-class player, the 20-year-old quarterback knows what Nightingale and the rest of the coaching staff expect from him.
“There are expectations about how spartan you can be on and off the ice,” said Gucciardi. “It speaks a lot about being reliable, especially as a defenseman. You want to be reliable, you want to be reliable, and most importantly, you want to be prepared.”
David Gucciardi’s little goal to start the weekend right # creativity pic.twitter.com/vocxX1mqRK
– Michigan State Hockey Center (MSU_H_H) June 16, 2023
Prior to playing for the green and white teams, the Toronto, Ontario native spent three seasons in the USHL, spread between four clubs. His best year was his final major league season with the Waterloo Blackhawks, in which he scored 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 29 games.
Gucciardi describes himself as a defenseman who uses his size and skate to break up plays in the three zones. But the 6-foot-1 blue line wouldn’t have those traits without hard work, something he’s proud of.
“I want to get ahead of the guys and use the skating to my advantage in zone D and try to get the puck out to the forwards as quickly as possible,” said Gucciardi. “If I don’t get tired of getting a puck, I’ll pitch in and try to make plays too.”
Similar to Big Ten competitor, and possibly future teammate, Ryan Chesley, Gucciardi has an opportunity for an increased role as his junior year approaches. The Spartans lost one of their best defensemen in Cole Krieger. But in order to fill the void in the list, he needs to hurry with and without the imp.
“The most important thing for me is to improve speed [and] Gucciardi said. “I want to be faster than the fastest man, I want to be the fastest.”
Friday night strong number 17 @employee Winning in Madison 6-2. 👏 pic.twitter.com/hisBI0Iegm
– Michigan State on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) February 18, 2023
Gucciardi will likely play out the rest of his collegiate eligibility before signing a professional contract. If development camp goes well and he continues with preparation and outside work, he could be in the running for a break season in 2023-24.
“Preparation is one of the most important things in any situation. Going to camp this year, you kind of know it’s coming, so you want to be as prepared as you can be,” Gucciardi said. I try to go faster and work hard on it. I hope to be faster by the end of the summer.”
By Jacob Shires