In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today, we feature Arizona Coyotes rookie forward Dylan Guenther.
WASHINGTON -- When Dylan Guenther was called up by the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 6, he was told his stay in the NHL would likely be a brief one while Jason Zucker was serving a three-game suspension.
The 20-year-old forward had other plans and has forced the Coyotes to keep him. Guenther has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 34 games this season heading into Arizona's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSOH).
Zucker was traded to the Nashville Predators on March 8 for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
"I knew I had to earn it," Guenther said. "Either way, I knew it wasn't going to be handed to me, so I was just super excited to get that call and have just tried to take advantage of it."
Guenther hoped to begin this season in the NHL after starting last season with the Coyotes and getting 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 33 games before being loaned to Canada for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and eventually being assigned to Seattle of the Western Hockey League for the rest of the season. But he made the most of his first experience in the American Hockey League this season and was leading Tucson with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 29 games before he was called up to the Coyotes.
Selected by Arizona with the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Guenther has fit in well since the recall, playing recently on a line with Lawson Crouse and fellow rookie Logan Cooley. Six of his goals have come on the power play, including the game-winner in a 5-3 victory against the Ottawa Senators on March 1 that ended the Coyotes' 14-game losing streak (0-13-1).
"I know he will be a key player at key moments," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said of Guenther. "He has that look and that swagger. He wants to be on the ice at those moments, and he has the character we're looking for."
NHL.com spoke with Guenther earlier this month about his development as a player, his experience in the AHL, playing with Cooley and more.
How have you grown as a player since you were with the Coyotes in the first half of last season?
"I think just being a year older, I'm a little bit more mature. I'm a little bit smarter, I think, with just recognizing time of game, game management, stuff like that. And I'm a little bit stronger and everything that kind of comes with age."
You were probably disappointed to be sent down to Tucson to begin the season, but what did you learn from playing in the AHL for the first three months?
"I think it just makes you hungry. No one wants to get that message, but it really makes you want to get back up (to the NHL) and I just took the information that they gave me and tried to implement it. It was still a place I could get better and improve, and I knew, hopefully, I wouldn't be there for too long."
Was it a similar situation and approach after you were assigned to Seattle in the WHL on Feb. 7 of last season and ended up getting to play in the Memorial Cup?
"I think wherever you are, you can still improve. That one, obviously, stung for a little bit, but it was a good group there and I had a chance to win, so it was a lot of fun."
You scored the winning goal for Canada in a 3-2 overtime victory against Czechia in the gold medal game of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. What is your memory of that and what did it do for your confidence?
"Yeah, that was a pretty cool one. World Juniors is pretty sacred in Canada. That's a goal I'll never forget."
You've been playing on the same line with Cooley. Do the two of you lean on each other some as two young players experiencing some of the same things for the first time in the NHL?
"Yeah, I think it helps having another young guy around. Just off the ice, it's great to have that friendship, and it helps on the ice too. We get along well off the ice and communicate well on the ice, so I like playing with him. He's a super-talented, super-skilled player and, hopefully, we play together for some time here."
Do your games complement each other?
"Yeah, I think so. We're different players, obviously. He's puck possessive. He's super good with the puck, shifty, skates really well. I think that kind of allows me to get lost and play off of him, try to get open. Obviously, still make plays, but I try to get open to shoot it and score."
Do you spend a lot of time together off the ice too?
"Yeah, we're on the road a lot, so it's a lot of fun."
What do you do to get away from thinking about hockey?
"Just go for dinner and stuff like that. On the road, you don't want to do too much. You are kind of conserving your energy."
Do you have more time to do things together at home?
"Yeah, we have time. We don't live together. I live with (forward) Jack McBain, but we just hang out and maybe go watch a movie or go to dinner and stuff like that."
McBain is another young player, but a little older than you (24 years old). How has he helped you?
"He's good. We have a lot of fun together. We lived together last year too. He came into the League last year. I did, too, so I think that helped a lot. We have a good time."
Which veterans have helped you when you've been with the Coyotes the past two seasons?
"We have great leadership. I think you take bits and pieces from every guy. I think Lawson Crouse is a really good guy to look at and lean on. Just how he does his day-by-day routine and the way he speaks and composes himself, he's definitely a guy that I look up to."
What hobbies do you have outside hockey? Is there something you enjoy doing during the offseason?
"Golf, hanging out with my buddies, playing basketball with my friends. Honestly, I have pretty short offseasons. I like training. I like working and getting better, but golf is a big one."
What kind of music do you listen to? Is there a particular artist that gets you pumped up for games?
"I've been listening to a little bit of Senth lately, so probably him. He's a good one."
Which players in Tucson should we watch out for coming to the NHL soon?
"Josh Doan is a really good player. He scores, puts the puck in the net. I have a great friendship with him. He's a good player."
