Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft, Jake Guentzel is seasoning in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The pivot is playing with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, until it’s time to lace up for the black and gold.
Recently named the Pittsburgh Penguins’ sixth overall prospect by The Hockey News, Guentzel is in his third season of collegiate hockey with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He has increased his points total in each of his three seasons with the Mavericks, most recently notching 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 35 games.
The left-shooting centerman who hails from Minnesota has the speed and skill to contribute at the professional hockey level. His size has been questioned by some, however there have been players smaller than Guentzel who have had long and distinguished careers at the NHL level. With the requisite fire-in-the-belly, grit and a bit of strength conditioning, he can certainly add value to the Penguins’ lineup.
And conditioning is something that Guentzel certainly won’t shy away from. Look at the video below to get a better understanding of Guentzel’s work ethic, as evidenced from the statement by his current coach at UNO:
Guentzel, who played in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers, prior to joining the Mavericks at the NCHC level, talks once more about hard work, when he’s interviewed below, after being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 77th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.
While with Sioux City, Guentzel was named USHL Rookie of the Year. Previous USHL ROY winners include: Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Okposo, Anders Lee and Johnny Gaudreau.
When you consider that arguably the best hockey player in the world, in Sidney Crosby, is listed at under six feet in height, the fact that Guentzel is 5’11” should not be the biggest hurdle to overcome. No, I’m not comparing him to Crosby just yet, but with great hockey sense, speed, grit and adding some bulk, Guentzel can certainly be a player at the NHL level.
When he gets to the AHL, and eventually NHL, it’s likely that he’ll be playing on the wing, although that’s not a given. As long as he continues to put in the effort and develop himself, we’ll be seeing Guentzel with the Penguins in the not-too-distant future.