Junior As a child, Gourde played in the 2003, 2004 and 2005
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with
minor ice hockey team Rive-Sud. In his native
Quebec, Gourde played with the Lévis Commandeurs and the Jonquière Élites of the
Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League before joining the
Victoriaville Tigres of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2008. In
2008–09, his first season with the Tigres, he collected one
assist through four games played. In 59 games during the
2009–10 season, he notched 11
goals and 17 assists for 28
points. During the
2010–11 season, he recorded 26 goals and 42 assists through 68 games. During the
2011–12 season with the Tigres, Gourde tallied 37 goals and 87 assists for 124 points through 68 games. These statistics earned him the
Jean Béliveau Trophy as the QMJHL's top scorer, He played four games with the team during the remainder of the
2011–12 season, Gourde was named to the Sharks' opening roster for the
2012–13 season. With the Sharks that season, he tallied eight goals in 54 games. Gourde also played eight games with the Sharks'
ECHL affiliate, the
San Francisco Bulls, during the season, achieving 10 points. For the next season in
2013–14, Gourde signed with the ECHL's
Kalamazoo Wings, where he posted 15 goals and 34 points in 30 games. On January 7, 2014, the Sharks once again took interest in Gourde, signing him to a 25-game
professional tryout offer. Through those games with the Sharks, Gourde had a point-per-game pace, notching four goals and 21 assists for 25 points. During that period, he tallied two goals and six assists through 18 games. That season, Gourde was named AHL Player of the Month for November after recording nine goals, nine assists, and a +13
plus–minus rating in 18 games. He completed the season with 29 goals and 28 assists for 57 points in 76 games, his scoring numbers ahead of all Crunch players except
Jonathan Marchessault. Gourde also led the team in
power play goals, with eight. After participating in the Lightning's training camp, Gourde was returned to the Crunch to start the
2015–16 season. He continued his scoring pace from the previous season, his point total placing third on the team by the time he received his first call-up to the Lightning on December 14, 2015. The next day, Gourde made his NHL debut in a 5–4
overtime Lightning win over the
Toronto Maple Leafs. In that game, he registered his first NHL assist and point on a goal by
Mike Blunden. After playing another game with the Lightning, he was returned to the Crunch on December 29. After posting 26 points in 29 games to start the
2016–17 season, Gourde was recalled by the Lightning on December 29, 2016. On January 4, 2017, he was returned to the Crunch after playing two games with the Lightning. Two days later, he was named to represent the Crunch at the 2017
AHL All-Star Classic. Gourde was once again recalled by the Lightning on March 6. On March 11, against the
Florida Panthers, he scored his first NHL goal, shorthanded. In doing so, he became the fourth Lightning player to score his first career goal shorthanded. On April 10, he was returned to the Crunch after having totaled six goals and eight points through 20 games with the Lightning during both stints. Gourde ended the regular season with the Crunch tallying 26 goals and 48 points in 56 games. During the
2017 Calder Cup playoffs, the Crunch reached the Calder Cup Final, facing off against the
Grand Rapids Griffins. In game 6 of the series, Gourde scored two goals. However, the Griffins won the game 4–3, clinching the
Calder Cup. Gourde totaled nine goals and 27 points during the playoffs, his points ranking second behind fellow Crunch player
Cory Conacher and his 18 assists ranking first in the league. On June 26, 2017, the Lightning announced they had signed Gourde to a two-year, contract extension. On March 6, 2018, Gourde recorded two goals in a 5–4 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers. His two-goal effort tied him with
Tyler Johnson for the most goals during a rookie season by a Lightning player. On March 30, Gourde moved past
Ondřej Palát (59) for the second-most points in a season by a Lightning rookie. On April 6, Gourde recorded one goal and two assists in a 7–5 win over the
Buffalo Sabres. The goal moved Gourde past Tyler Johnson for most goals by a Lightning rookie, with 25. Gourde also passed
Brad Richards for the most points in a season by a Lightning rookie, with 64. On April 12, Gourde made his
Stanley Cup playoff debut in a 5–2 home win against the
New Jersey Devils. He recorded his first career playoff goal and assist in the Lightning victory, becoming the second player in Lightning history to have a multi-point game in his playoff debut. He ended the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs with two goals and five assists through 17 games. On March 22, 2019, he was suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head of
Carolina Hurricanes captain
Jordan Staal the previous night. Gourde finished the
2018–19 season with 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points, including five game-winning goals, the same amount as the previous season. During four games of the
2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, he scored one goal.
Seattle Kraken On July 21, 2021, Gourde was selected from the Lightning in the
2021 NHL expansion draft by the
Seattle Kraken. Following the draft, it was announced that Gourde was expected to miss the first two months of the
2021–22 season to recover from shoulder surgery. While sidelined, Gourde was named an
alternate captain for the Kraken alongside
Jordan Eberle,
Adam Larsson, and
Jaden Schwartz. He eventually made his season debut on October 19, where he played on the team's top line with Schwartz and Eberle against the New Jersey Devils. Gourde scored his first goal with the Kraken on October 26, against the Montreal Canadiens, as part of the team's first home win. He finished the season with 21 goals and 27 assists through 74 games. Gourde maintained his point total for the
2022–23 season, notching 48 points. In the
2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Gourde scored an overtime goal against the Dallas Stars during the second round, giving the Kraken a 5–4 win and a 1–0 series lead. However, the Kraken went on to lose the series to the Stars in seven games, getting eliminated from the playoffs. During the
2023–24 season, he totaled lesser numbers, managing 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 80 games. On January 31, 2025, during the
2024–25 season, it was announced that Gourde would miss from five to seven weeks due to surgery for a
sports hernia. Prior injury, he had played in 35 games, registering six goals and 10 assists. After recovering, he played one more game, also registering an assist. In 21 games with the Lightning to end the season, Gourde tallied one goal and 13 assists. On June 2, the Lightning signed him to a six-year, contract. ==Personal life==