 As a youth, Gauthier played in the 1998 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Los Angeles Junior Kings minor ice hockey team.Gauthier played Tier II Junior hockey with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League from 1999 until 2002.He then entered university with the University of Denver, where he played four seasons helping the Pioneers win two consecutive NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005.