Rookie forward gets the call from Team Canada
Edmonton Oil Kings rookie forward Dylan Guenther is trying to navigate his way through the Western Hockey League this season, but will be taking a short hiatus to dress for Team Canada.
Guenther, 16, the No. 1 selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, was one of 66 players across the country selected to participate in the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge from Nov. 2-9 in Medicine Hat and Swift Current, Sask.
“I’m super excited for it,” Guenther said. “It was a fun (tryout) camp and I thought I had a good camp, so I’m super excited that I get to represent Canada and I’m ready to go.”
Canada will have three teams at the tournament representing different regions of the country. The tournament also features teams from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
The Under-17 Hockey Challenge represents the beginning of the Hockey Canada national team journey for most players.
“I think it’s almost like a tryout for their other (national) teams,” Guenther said. “I can’t wait. I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun.”
Guenther is in his first full season with the Oil Kings and has two goals and two assists in 11 games. The Oil Kings travel to face the Red Deer Rebels on Friday, looking to improve on their 7-1-3 record.
“He’s a talented kid, obviously, being a first-overall draft pick in the Western League,” Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer said. “His upside is huge and to be able to go and play among your peers at this tournament is going to be great for him. It’s unfortunate we miss him for six games, but I think it’s a great opportunity for him to match himself up and to play among his age group and to play in these tournaments that are very competitive.”
Balancing a rookie season in the WHL with an opportunity to represent your country is not always easy for young players like Guenther. Yet, Lauer believes his talented rookie will be able to handle this, and likely future, national team requests.
“It can be tough,” Lauer said. “It can be tough and coming back from them, it’s a little bit of a reset when you come back. I know when Jake (Neighbours) left last year there was a bit of a reset for him.
“With Guenther, I think it’ll be a good experience for him and when he comes back, we’ll see where he is. We think he’ll be fine; he’s a very talented individual and very focused individual
and he knows what he wants.
It’s a big step from where he was last year, playing midget hockey, to come here and play junior hockey.”
Expectations are high on Guenther with the Oil Kings and he got a taste of the WHL last season during the tail end of the year and into the playoffs.
Guenther joined the Oil Kings as an under-aged player once his midget season came to an end and dressed in eight regular-season games, scoring three goals and adding an assist. He was then inserted in the lineup for three playoff games as the Oil Kings made it to the WHL Eastern Conference final before losing out to the Prince Albert Raiders.
“That helped a lot, just kind of seeing how the schedule is like and how the days work and how many games you play,” he said.
Along with Neighbours last season, Oil Kings defenceman Matthew Robertson also played in the tournament as a 16-yearold. Robertson was drafted by the New York Rangers this summer and has a good opportunity to play in World Junior Hockey Championship in December.
“That (U-17 Hockey Challenge) was my first experience with Hockey Canada and getting to wear the Maple Leaf jersey is a pretty cool experience,” Robertson said. “Every time you get to wear the Maple Leaf it’s an honour and a privilege.”
Robertson has some advice for Guenther heading into the international tournament:
“Just to treat his body well, it’s a lot of games in a short amount of time.”