Jake Guentzel

Jake Guentzel (born October 6, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round, 77th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Guentzel has won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.

Jake Guentzel
Guentzel with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals
Born (1994-10-06) October 6, 1994
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft 77th overall, 2013
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

Born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 6, 1994, Guentzel grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota. He played two years of varsity hockey at the Hill-Murray School (finishing 2nd in the 2012 MN State Hockey Tournament)[2] in Maplewood, Minnesota, before committing to the University of Nebraska Omaha after his senior season.[3]

In his freshman year at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Guentzel was named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team, the NCHC All-Conference Rookie Team and was a finalist for NCHC Rookie of the Year.[4] In his sophomore season, he helped guide the Mavericks to their first showing in the Frozen Four, scoring the team's only goal in a 4–1 loss to the Providence Friars.[5]

On August 27, 2015, before Guentzel's junior year, he was named a co-captain along with Brian Cooper after a vote by the team.[6] After the 2015–16 season, Guentzel signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 23, 2016.[7]

Guentzel, Nick Bonino, and Kris Letang celebrating the Penguins' Stanley Cup win in 2017

Guentzel began the 2016–17 season with the Penguins American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.[8] After a recall, Guentzel made his NHL debut on November 21, 2016, against the New York Rangers, where he scored two goals on his first two shots.[9] Despite this, the Penguins lost the game 5–2.[10]

On March 21, 2017, Guentzel suffered a concussion on a check from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. He missed the next 4 games, while Ristolainen was suspended by the league for 3 games.[11] On April 16, 2017, he scored a hat-trick, which included the game-winning goal in overtime, to put the Penguins up 3–0 in their first-round playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became the first Penguins rookie to score a playoff hat-trick, and only the second rookie in NHL history to score a hat-trick and overtime goal in the same game of the playoffs.[12] On June 11, 2017, Guentzel won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators in six games. During the run, Guentzel recorded 21 points, tying Dino Ciccarelli and Ville Leino for points by a rookie in a single post-season. His 13 goals was one off of Ciccarelli's record.[13]

Guentzel began the 2017–18 season in the NHL, putting up a career high 48 points in 82 games to help the Penguins qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. During the first round of the playoffs, Guentzel recorded four goals in an 8–5 Game 6 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.[14] He became the third Penguins player, behind Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens, to record four goals in a playoff game.[15]

Guentzel with his family following the Penguins' Stanley Cup win in 2017

The 2018–19 season marked the last year Guentzel was on his entry level rookie contract. The Penguins began the season with a slow start, landing near the bottom of the league in early November.[16] On November 24, 2018, Guentzel recorded his first regular season hat trick in a 4–2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.[17] The following month, on December 27, the Penguins re-signed Guentzel to a five-year, $30 million contact.[18] Guentzel recorded his second regular season hat trick in a 7–4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on January 11, 2019.[19] His hat trick was the first by a Penguins player ever against the Anaheim Ducks.[20] After a two-goal game the following night against the Los Angeles Kings, Guentzel was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week.[21]

In the 2019–20 season, Guentzel put up 20 goals and 23 assists in 39 games for the Penguins, and was voted in to play in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.[22] On December 30, 2019, Guentzel recorded his 200th career point as he scored a goal against the Ottawa Senators. However, immediately after scoring the goal, Guentzel tripped over the stick of Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot, and crashed shoulder first into the boards behind the net . The next day, Guentzel underwent successful shoulder surgery that sidelined him for 6 months.[23] Guentzel was expected to miss the remainder of the season, but with the NHL pushing the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs into early August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to recover and join his teammates for the postseason.[24]

Personal life

Guentzel comes from a hockey family.[25] His father, Mike, was a standout athlete for Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minnesota, and subsequently played hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Later on Mike became the associate head coach at the University of Minnesota.[26] Guentzel was a stick boy for the team when future Penguins teammate Phil Kessel played for Minnesota.[27] His older brother, Ryan, played collegiately and professionally.[28][29] Another older brother, Gabe, played in the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League before embarking on a four-year NCAA career at Colorado College.[30]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Hill-Murray School USHS 25 15 28 43 10 3 4 2 6 4
2011–12 Hill-Murray School USHS 31 23 52 75 16 3 1 4 5 0
2012–13 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 60 29 44 73 24 — — — — —
2013–14 U. of Nebraska Omaha NCHC 37 7 27 34 16 — — — — —
2014–15 U. of Nebraska Omaha NCHC 36 14 25 39 34 — — — — —
2015–16 U. of Nebraska Omaha NCHC 35 19 27 46 20 — — — — —
2015–16 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 11 2 4 6 0 10 5 9 14 0
2016–17 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 33 21 21 42 12 — — — — —
2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 40 16 17 33 10 25 13 8 21 10
2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 22 26 48 42 12 10 11 21 8
2018–19 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 40 36 76 26 4 1 0 1 0
2019–20 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 39 20 23 43 14 4 1 2 3 0
NHL totals 243 98 102 200 92 45 25 21 46 18

Awards and honors
Award Year
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2013
Rookie of the year 2013 [31]
Second All-Star Team 2013
Jake's Shake, Milkshake Factory 2019
College
NCHC All-Rookie Team 2014
NHL
Stanley Cup (Pittsburgh Penguins) 2017 [32]
Prince of Wales Trophy (Pittsburgh Penguins) 2017 [33]
All-Star Game 2020 [34]

References
  1. Boone, Tony (November 14, 2015). "Guentzel's hockey career winds up down the street from where he was born". World-Herald. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  2. "MN Boys' Hockey Hub". Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  3. "Jake Guentzel Hockey's Future Page". Hockey's Future. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  4. "JAKE GUENTZEL". omavs.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  5. Boone, Tony (April 9, 2015). "Providence's unrelenting pressure tops UNO in Frozen Four". omaha.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  6. "COOPER, GUENTZEL NAMED HOCKEY CAPTAINS". omavs.com. August 27, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  7. "Penguins sign forward Jake Guentzel to three-year entry-level deal". Pittsburgh Penguins. May 23, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  8. "GUENTZEL, ROWNEY ASSIGNED TO WILKES-BARRE". wbspenguins.com. October 7, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  9. Guentzel, Jake (May 12, 2017). "Kesselmania Runs Wild". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  10. Tasch, Justin (November 21, 2016). "Rangers score five unanswered goals to pound Penguins, 5–2". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  11. Brandon Schlager. "Sabres' Rasmus Ristolainen gets three-game ban for hit on Penguins' Jake Guentzel". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  12. Michelle Crechiolo (April 16, 2017). "The Inside Scoop: Guentzel's Goals". NHL.com. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  13. Campbell, Tim (June 9, 2017). "Jake Guentzel of Penguins ties rookie record for playoff points". NHL.com. NHL. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  14. Gretz, Adam (April 22, 2018). "Guentzel scores 4 as Penguins eliminate Flyers in bonkers Game 6". nhl.nbcsports.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  15. @penguins (April 22, 2018). "Guentzel has recorded just the third four-goal game in Penguins playoff history. The others? Mario Lemieux on 04.25.89 (five goals) and Kevin Stevens on 05.21.91" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. Gretz, Adam (November 7, 2018). "Obviously unhappy GM rips Penguins' slow start". nhl.nbcsports.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  17. Crosby, Wes (November 24, 2018). "Guentzel hat trick sparks Penguins past Blue Jackets". NHL.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  18. Johnston, Mike (December 27, 2018). "Penguins sign Jake Guentzel to big five-year contract extension". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  19. Arritt, Dan (January 12, 2019). "Ducks lose 10th straight game after Penguins score seven". NHL.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  20. @SethRorabaugh (January 11, 2019). "Jake Guentzel recorded the Penguins' first hat trick in franchise history against the Ducks. The Penguins' last hat trick in California was recorded by Ron Francis in a 9-1 win at San Jose, Nov. 10, 1995" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. "Giordano leads 3 Stars of the Week". NHL.com. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  22. "Jake Guentzel Selected to Play in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game". nhl.com. December 30, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  23. "Penguins F Guentzel out four-to-six months". tsn.ca. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  24. "Training camp preview: Injured players returning in Eastern Conference". NHL.com. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  25. "All In The Family". Minnesota Hockey Journal. December 6, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  26. "Mike Guentzel Bio:: University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site :: Ice Hockey". www.gophersports.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  27. Sadler, Emily (May 13, 2017). "Penguins' Guentzel shares awesome story of meeting Kessel as a kid". Sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  28. "Ryan Guentzel | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  29. "RYAN GUENTZEL". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  30. "Gabe Guentzel – 2011–2012 Men's Ice Hockey". Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  31. "Jake Guentzel named USHL rookie of the year". juniorhockey.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  32. "Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  33. Crosby, Wes (May 26, 2017). "Penguins defeat Senators in 2OT of Game 7, return to Cup Final". NHL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  34. "NHL All-Star Game rosters revealed". National Hockey League. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
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