Guenther is also hoping to elevate his offensive production this season. He’s had success thus far on Utah’s second line with center Logan Cooley and right wing JJ Peterka.
Last season, Guenther had 60 points (27 goals, 33 assists) in 70 games.
“I think [we’re] just playing fast, just attacking the game, not waiting it out,” Guenther said. “I think the team is still feeling it out, working through our structure, working through the chemistry.”
He is part of an exciting youth moment in Utah, along with forwards Peterka (23), Cooley (21), Barrett Hayton (25) and Jack McBain (25) and defenseman Dmitri Simashev (20), but the Mammoth have also brought in established veterans to supplement the roster. Defenseman Nate Schmidt (34) and forward Brandon Tanev (33) were among those acquired during the offseason to help accelerate the process.
“We have a great veteran team,” Guenther said. “We have a lot of guys that have won Cups like Mikhail Sergachev, (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2020, 2021), Kevin Stenlund (Florida Panthers, 2024), Ian Cole and Olli Maatta (Pittsburgh Penguins, 2016, 2017) … they’ve all been there. So, we’re integrating an older winning culture into some younger guys and building a foundation that way.”
Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny is pleased with what he’s seen from Guenther early this season.
“His pace is unbelievable so far,” Tourigny said. “The way he works, he’s relentless. He’s on pucks, he attacks off the rush, he attacks from down low, he has multiple points of attack.
“I still think his line has — they were really good, they’ve been really good — but they still have a lot of growth, a lot of moments in the game, on the forecheck, on the [offensive]-zone play where they can generate even more movement, more speed, more being on top of their opponent, and I think the sky’s the limit for them.”
NHL independent correspondent Matt Komma contributed to this report