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Until now.

That brutal introduction to the big leagues has provided Gaunce with a unique perspective. It’s why he’s savouring the early success as the Canucks roared from the starting block and won more in the first week this season than they did at any point during Gaunce’s time with the club a year ago.

“I’ve been lucky enough in my two years in pro that we had successful teams in Utica, so I’ve been around that winning environment. Last year, coming here was a bit different,” he admits. “(It) was a bit of a culture shock. But this year, we’ve had a good attitude and I think that shows in our wins.”

Photo by Ward Perrin / PNG

While the team dynamic was difficult last season, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound centre tried to make the most of his first look at the NHL. He got into 20 games in two separate recalls from the minors. His first was a brief two-game stay in which he scored his first NHL goal in Arizona last October. Then in March he was recalled again and stayed for the duration of the season as the Canucks played out the string.

It was exactly where Gaunce wanted to be as a player, but those were hardly the circumstances he wanted to be in.

“Any person that plays professional sports is very competitive, so that’s something that’s going to eat at them whether it shows at the rink or not,” he says of living with the losing.

“It’s tough to go home and have a losing team because you know you are a part of that and you’re obviously not helping the team enough to win. It was definitely tough on that level.”