Last night, the Utah Hockey Club won their franchise's first game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Utah capped off the night with a 5-2 victory after a day full of festivities at the Delta Center.
In the win, Dylan Guenther's performance was nothing short of spectacular. His speed and elite shot were on full display, leading Utah offensively and helping carry the team to their first win. His performance left a lasting impression on Utah fans who may have been watching professional hockey in person for the first time.
Guenther's performance is an excellent sign of things to come, as huge expectations have been placed on this kid who has yet to play an entire season in the NHL. But after the small sample size in the preseason and Utah's first game. Guenther shows he is ready to exceed expectations and be an impact player in the NHL.
Dylan Guenther shines in Utah Hockey Club's first win against the Blackhawks
Dylan Guenther opened the scoring for Utah five minutes into the first period on a rocket that beat Petr Mrazek below the blocker and above the pad—the shot just flat-out beat Mrazek, who didn't even react. Guenther scored a second goal in this one, but it was on an empty net. However, it wasn't your typical empty net goal. Guenther showed great hustle chasing down a shot that Logan Cooley missed from centre ice; Guenther beat the Chicago defensemen to the puck and tucked the puck freely into the open cage.
But it wasn't just these two goals; Guenther impacted this game every time he was on the ice. He led Utah with nine shot attempts, five shots on goal and 1.23 expected goals throughout the game. He also had five scoring chances and two high-danger chances.
Many people, including me, have based their Utah playoff projections on Guenther's taking a big step forward. This excellent first performance is just a carryover from the preseason when he had three points in two games. Everything Guenther has shown so far this year shows that he is ready to live up to these expectations.
Guenther played 45 NHL games last year with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring 18 goals in those games. That is a 33-goal pace in an 82-game season. With all the chances he is going to get on the powerplay and in the top six this season, Utah is going to need a similar pace at a bare minimum out of Guenther, but ideally, he is going to have to score 35-40 goals this year to help get this team near the playoffs.
But the good news is that he is off to a strong start and is on pace for a totally realistic 164 goals!