Dylan Guenther had a star-studded arrival to the Arizona Coyotes from living with Shane Doan to training with Phil Kessel.
Now in his second year since being drafted ninth overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Guenther is overcoming adversity.
Guenther’s previous season featured ups and downs from being selected to represent Canada at the World Junior Championships to the tournament then shutting down from COVID-19.
In the summer, Guenther progressed to the championship round with his junior team, the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, only for his season to end with a lower body injury in Game 3.
It wasn’t stellar news for the Coyotes for one of its highly touted prospects to be out during prospect development camp in July, but Guenther’s injury wasn’t serious enough to keep him out of rookie camp. An illness left him out the first day on Wednesday, but Guenther returned to normal on Thursday for the two-day camp at Ice Den Scottsdale.
“It’s nice to get back to camp and get back into some routines and practices and get some games in. It feels like it’s been a while, but it hasn’t been that long,” Guenther said.
Guenther’s recovery period and offseason workouts focused on strength-building and getting faster and stronger.
“It’s been like that a lot of the time and there’s a big emphasis on that this year. Having the shortened offseason had some difficulties with not getting the time. I do think I really took advantage of that time that I had and I’m looking forward to camp,” Guenther said.
Guenther’s already getting widespread attention after participating in the NHLPA Rookie Showcase on September 7 with fellow Coyotes prospect Matias Maccelli. The forward will have another opportunity to garner attention with the Rookie Faceoff in San Jose on Friday.
“I’m looking forward to seeing his growth. Last year, we saw a player who can shoot the puck and has talent. He has a smaller frame and I’m looking forward to seeing how much he has improved physically and how much he can battle against the big boys,” Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said.
More:Coyotes first-round pick Conor Geekie healthy and ready to prove himself at rookie camp
Now one year wiser, Guenther is even closer to reaching the next step in his career. He passed the threshold last season and stuck around for main camp, but was ultimately sent back to the WHL.
In that season, Guenther tallied 45 goals and 91 points in 59 regular season games for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“When you come here last year, I think you learn a lot and then you’re able to take some of the information that the older guys have from pro hockey lifestyle and bring it into junior hockey. Something that they said was playing a pro game in juniors and that’s something I tried to bring. I think a lot of guys on that junior team brought it and that’s why we had some success,” Guenther said.
Guenther’s production didn’t slow down during the playoffs either. With three games less than his teammates, he still led in goals (13) and tied in points (21).
During that stretch, Guenther also matched up against then future Coyotes draft pick Conor Geekie in the semifinals round. Guenther’s Oil Kings took the series over Geekie’s Winnipeg ICE in five games.
“We’ve had a few conversations about that, but I love Dylan. He’s really good, a good guy, and I roomed with him for a little bit this summer. Hanging out with him and doing our fun things, it’s been a lot of fun and hopefully we have a chance to play together,” Geekie said.
Notes
- The Coyotes will play in three games beginning with the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at 4:30 pm, followed by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at 4:30 pm, and the Colorado Avalanche on Monday at 10:00 am.
- The veterans portion of training camp will begin on Thursday with the first on-ice session at 9:00 am at Ice Den Scottsdale. All on-ice sessions during training camp will take place at Ice Den Scottsdale.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennaortiz.
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