GUENTZEL LETS ‘HOCKEY SENSE’ LEAD THE WAY
Pens’ playoff sensation seemingly came out of nowhere, ‘but that’s the type of kid he is’
The most dangerous scorer in this year’s NHL playoffs is not Sidney Crosby, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 44 goals. It’s not Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid or Alex Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin.
It’s a minor-league call-up who used to be Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Phil Kessel’s stick boy at the University of Minnesota.
Four months ago, Jake Guentzel was a virtual nobody toiling in the American Hockey League. Heading into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal on Monday night, the 22-year-old rookie had become an early Conn Smythe Trophy candidate, with 10 points and a playoff-leading seven goals in his first seven games.
To some, the Penguins forward might seem like the latest in a long line of players to benefit from time alongside the best player in the world. After all, it was only last year that undrafted rookie Conor Sheary emerged from the minors and scored 10 points in 23 playoff games on Crosby’s wing.
But while Pittsburgh’s newest offensive weapon has seemingly come out of nowhere in these playoffs, Guentzel is showing he could be more than the flavour of the month.
“It’s a surprise for anyone to step in at his age and lead the NHL in goals in the playoffs,” said Dean Blais, who coached Guentzel at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. “Playing with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins is not the norm, but that’s the type of kid he is. He’s done that throughout his hockey career because he can think the game.”
The youngest of three boys, Guentzel grew up in the hockey hotbed of Minnesota, where he was always measuring himself against siblings who were much older and better than him. Despite being the runt of the family, Guentzel never backed down.
“There’s a six-year difference between child No. 2 and child No. 3,” said Mike Guentzel, whose older sons both play pro hockey in Germany. “But he didn’t look at it like he was six years younger. He just wanted to be in the game and one of them. His desire to compete, that’s the thing that’s probably had the greatest impact on his career.”
One of the ways Guentzel got into the game was through his father, who is an assistant coach with the University of Minnesota. Guentzel was the team’s stick boy, a job loaded with perks. He was behind the bench for back-to-back national championships and got to pass Kessel his stick during games. Years later, Guentzel is now passing Kessel the puck, as he did when the two connected for a goal in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals.
“It was pretty special,” Guentzel told nhl.com. “Being a stick boy when Kessel was there is something that is kind of fun now. It only made me want to play hockey that much more.”
The former stick boy was practically a stick figure when the Penguins drafted him in the third round in 2013. Even as a college player, Blais remembers being “very concerned” about the 165-pound freshman who insisted on always being the first on the forecheck. Those concerns washed away as Guentzel racked up 34 points in 37 games in his first year at Nebraska-Omaha. The following year, Guentzel led the team to its first appearance in the Frozen Four.
“He thinks the game,” Blais said. “He thinks his way around the rink versus powering his way around like an Ovechkin. He can make something out of nothing because of his hockey sense.”
Guentzel, who scored 33 points in 40 regular-season games with the Penguins, has continued that success in the post-season by outsmarting — not overpowering — opponents. He has a bloodhound’s instinct, sniffing out what Crosby calls the “quiet area” on the ice, and seems to think the game as if it’s moving in slow motion. He showed that in the first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he scored five goals in five games, including a hat trick in Game 3.
“He always had that ‘it’ factor,” Mike Guentzel said. “He just kind of rises to the big game moments. We had family and friends over the years that would say that they just knew when the game was tied or close that Jake was going to be the guy that scored. He just kind of had that ability to show up and make big plays.”