Gorshkov's small ships did not make his fleet Jeune École

Did Gorshkov's use of numerous small ships amount to a return to Jeune École thinking?

No. Jeune École displaced capital ships, whereas Gorshkov used flotillas of small craft alongside medium and capital units inside a balanced fleet.

Gorshkov's structure more closely resembles Fisher's use of destroyer and submarine flotillas around a major battle fleet. The defining issue is whether a navy abandons the upper layers of combat power, rather than how many small ships it owns. Gorshkov kept cruisers, carriers, and submarines in a mutually supporting force while smaller combatants filled regional and presence requirements. That mixture makes the doctrine balanced rather than a Jeune École rejection of capital ships.