Prospect Info: Jake Guentzel | C/LW | Sioux City (USHL) | 3rd Round, 77th overall

[wej20]

Obviously has some offensive talent, hopefully he makes it to 5'10 and is able to get his weight up.

 

[Crafton]

the search function reveals these posts mentioning Guentzel:

Minnesota is definitely not underscouted. Go to any high school game where the top-ranked teams are playing and you'll see plenty of guys in black jackets standing in the corner drinking coffee, watching intently, and not talking to anybody, which pretty much gives away that they're scouts.

Everybody on here may already know this, but if you're not from Minnesota or that familiar with Minnesota high school hockey you should know that Shattuck isn't really like other Minnesota high school teams. It's a residential prep school which draws players from all over the country and world, and doesn't generally play "normal" community-based Minnesota high school teams. Were they to play in the MSHSL they'd easily be favored to win the state tournament, but the very top teams would play them close and occasionally pull out wins. Shattuck does very well in the Elite League, but their games against the other top teams in the league are generally close, and they actually finished second during the regular season last year to Team Southeast (Kloos, Jake Guentzel, and Merchant, among others, were on that team). And remember that the other Elite League teams are all-star teams that are thrown together and don't really have many practices together, which gives Shattuck a slight edge.

Last year leading up to the 2012 NHL Draft, we had a pile of scouts contribute some additional bonus content to our website featuring their surprises, disappointments and sleepers.

We're continuing that this season with the 2013 version. Again, a handful of scouts have given us who surprised them, who left them wanting more and a potential sleeper on draft day.

We've got Dan Shrader kicking things off for us this season. He looks after the upper-midwest USA for us:

Who Impressed?

Of all the various leagues in my territory (High School/Prep, NAHL, USHL, and NCAA), it was pretty much a no-brainer as to who stood above everyone as the most impressive prospect I saw: Jake Guentzel of The Sioux City Musketeers.
I had been familiar with Guentzel from his days playing Minnesota High School. The hockey sense was evident then, as he effortlessly and instinctively maneuvered around the ice in leading his Hill-Murray Pioneers to the State Tournament. Guentzel made the jump to the USHL for his draft year, and was having a modicum of success for a struggling Musketeers team which earned him an invite to the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

You know when you have an older car, and the transmission is a tad clunky? The car struggles to go until the transmission finally drops into gear. Apply the same analogy to Guentzel’s game. He finished the season in dominant fashion — a 21 game scoring streak — resulting in 43 points. By season’s end, Guentzel had the two-second advantage over the competition; he sees the plays happen two seconds before everyone else.
Or, as a colleague suggested, “There is just too much Jaden Schwartz in him to ignore.â€

I was able to see him before and after the proverbial ‘gear change’. He was succeeding before but when I saw him late in the season, he was simply making things happen every time he touched the ice. The puck followed him around. He was breaking up plays and stealing pucks on the defensive end and created offense in what seemed like the most nonchalant manner possible, whether it be finding teammates through traffic, generating rebounds with clever use of his shot, or getting to the right spot at the right time to bury a loose puck.
He made dominance look so easy, so its crazy to see that he did it considering his size and physical immaturity. He’s learned how to thrive despite these shortcomings. What he lacks in sheer speed and power he makes up for in guile- which has turned him from a possible mid-round pick into the biggest riser going into the Draft.

http://futureconsiderations.ca/fcs-scouts-series-dan-shrader-upper-midwest/

Guentzel is a pure wild card player that has a very high skill set but will not get the recognition deserved because he played in the USHL. The Minnesota native is what I would call the perfect steal of the draft as he just came on the scene this year out of Minny and he likely will not get picked until round 3 so perfect recipe for "how did he not get drafted higher".....

I don't know about just coming on to the scene this year. The Guentzels have been a mainstay in MN and Jake has been touted for quite some time, his high school campaigns were quite successful with HM and he was clearly one of the better playmakers in the HS league.

 

[UnrealMachine]

This kid's talent-level speaks for itself. You can't write him off because his body hasn't matured yet. He has 4+ years to let his body develop. Even if he doesn't grow another inch, as long as he can gain and maintain 25-30 lbs onto his frame over that time period then he should be an interesting prospect to watch develop (no pun intended). Welcome to the Pens!

 

[WVP]

Crafton, nice work as always.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Nah, his name is Jake so there's no way it's not going to be Jake the Snake, sorry man.

You cannot give a 150 lb kid the name "Jake the Snake". Like calling what's his face "Erkel the Eradicator".

Nothing about that fits, plus it's three words.

Jaker or Gentzy

Meh. Let his teammates call him that. We need quality. Those are Canadian nicknames.

His twitter handle, Jake n' bake

You know what I've learned? Beav is better than all of these put together.

Let the mind that brought you Joe Victory and Elmer... move this agenda forward.

 

[Ogrezilla]

 

[Crafton]

Crafton, nice work as always.

no prob, i did the same for Byron and Segalla.

 

[Ogrezilla]

We need to give this kid all the time in the world to develop.

 

[deakka]

Just send him a huge stock with protein bars

IM starting to warm up to this pick. If he hits that growth spurt he could be a steal. Im suprised i havent heard about this kid beforew the draft tbh.

First a was a bit dissapointed we got an undersized player from a lesser league. We could at least have gone for Cammarata then (he wasnt avilable tho since he got picked just before).

Cammarata put up like 20 points more. But comparing the 2, Cammarata is only 5.7 while Guentzel is 5.9. Cammarata is 5 lbs heavier tho, but its easier to put on weight than grow on the height on purpose

Guentzel seem to play on a pretty bad team as well and seems to be pretty alone on the offense. He was leading the team with 73 points compared to the 2nd on the team who only had 41. Thats a huge gap tbh. They also did not make the playoffs.

Cammarata on the other hand had 93 points, but he also had better help having guys put up 87, 78, and 60 points behind him.

Next season will be really exiting to see if Guentzel can carry over his production to the NCAA, and hopefully have team mates who can support him better. And as said earlier, IF he grow a bit more it would be nice, but filling out his frame is also very important, some guys doesnt have the genes to put on weight tho. But lets hope he dedicates himself to it and can put on a couple of punds!

 

[Crafton]

looks like Cammarata was the USHL rookie of the year last year and Guentzel was the USHL rookie of the year, this year. i would assume that means he's younger, but i haven't bothered to look at their DOBs.

the Jaden Schwartz comparison has me hopeful. that dude was awesome in this years playoffs.

 

[Darth Vitale]

We need to give this kid all the time in the world to develop.

Or about 4 years, depending on how long he stays in college. Which you know... the world might well end in 4-6 years, so I'm thinking you could be right.

 

[Burgs]

Cammarata is half a year older and joined the USHL one season earlier. Their rookie numbers are virtually the same (27-42-69 vs. 29-44-73, both in 60 games) but Guentzel was on a worse team. Schwartz had 83 points in 60 games as USHL rookie and was that season's top scorer. But then again he also went 14th overall.

 

[CrosbyMalkin]

Just send him a huge stock with protein bars

IM starting to warm up to this pick. If he hits that growth spurt he could be a steal. Im suprised i havent heard about this kid beforew the draft tbh.

First a was a bit dissapointed we got an undersized player from a lesser league. We could at least have gone for Cammarata then (he wasnt avilable tho since he got picked just before).

Cammarata put up like 20 points more. But comparing the 2, Cammarata is only 5.7 while Guentzel is 5.9. Cammarata is 5 lbs heavier tho, but its easier to put on weight than grow on the height on purpose

Guentzel seem to play on a pretty bad team as well and seems to be pretty alone on the offense. He was leading the team with 73 points compared to the 2nd on the team who only had 41. Thats a huge gap tbh. They also did not make the playoffs.

Cammarata on the other hand had 93 points, but he also had better help having guys put up 87, 78, and 60 points behind him.
Next season will be really exiting to see if Guentzel can carry over his production to the NCAA, and hopefully have team mates who can support him better. And as said earlier, IF he grow a bit more it would be nice, but filling out his frame is also very important, some guys doesnt have the genes to put on weight tho. But lets hope he dedicates himself to it and can put on a couple of punds!

It is a big difference between 5'7" and a guy that is 5'9" but has proven genetics that shows he most likely will reach 6'. His brother all grew more at this age and with his body looking like he has not finished maturing I like his chances to at minimum get to 5'11" with the max at 6'1" most likely.

Plus when you look at points that 73 might actually be better than the 93 Cammarata put up. Putting up 73 on a team when your next best player has 41 is much more impressive than putting up 93 when you have team members with 87 and 78 points. To have that much of a spread shows how dominant this kid really was. You put Guentzel with another top scorer on his line and his numbers would of easily reached that 93 total.

I love this pick and believe the kid would of been a 1st round pick if he was 6' and physically mature. How much more dominant would Guentzel have been if he was not a late maturing kid? I think he has the potential to be the steal of the draft although that also could be or 6th round pick also who has top tier talent.

I love this draft with going for top end potential with our 2nd, 3rd, and 6th round picks. Also love the pick in the 4th getting a future Orpik type if he pans out.

 

[deakka]

I guess nobody seen him play? I read his skating is weak, wich always concerns me for a player that small.

 

[djt153]

subjectively speaking, the pens seem to have a pretty decent track record at seeing substantial improvement in prospects' skating

 

[Crafton]

I guess nobody seen him play? I read his skating is weak, wich always concerns me for a player that small.

where did you see that it was weak, if you don't mind me asking? i saw adjectives that were more in line with it alright, decent, solid.

in Burgs first post of the thread there's this scouting report:

He is a decent skater, but uses his burst of speed and quickness to catch defenders flat footed; he is so adept at using deception- whether it be skating or in his puck skills- to his advantage.

Corey Pronman has two tweets mentioning him:

Corey Pronman ‏@coreypronman 30 May
Good skill, really good hockey sense. Small guy, lacks dynamic speed. RT @carteciel: @coreypronman thoughts on Jake Guentzel?

https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/340149125272195074

Corey Pronman ‏@coreypronman 30 Jun
PIT selects Guentzel. Very good hockey sense, above-average skill. Small guy. Solid skater, not dynamic like you want at his size.

https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/351486973740978176

it does look like he could improve his skating, hopefully he does that. his problem might be that people expect someone that small to be far faster?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

subjectively speaking, the pens seem to have a pretty decent track record at seeing substantial improvement in prospects' skating

Yes. This is a good point.

One thing the Penguins seem to excel at, developmental wise, is helping prospects improve their skating ability in all facets. It isn't the dealbreaker it once was... and owing to the system the Penguins run, it seems like a logical thing for them to emphasize.

 

[djt153]

Yes. This is a good point.

One thing the Penguins seem to excel at, developmental wise, is helping prospects improve their skating ability in all facets. It isn't the dealbreaker it once was... and owing to the system the Penguins run, it seems like a logical thing for them to emphasize.

also just underlines the fact that the one thing you cant teach is hockey sense and that particular trait is supremely beauner inducing

 

[deakka]

weak was the wrong choice of wording, sorry. But at least its an area he can improve. But as stated, it CAN improve. Its harder to teach hockey sense and playmaking abilities.

 

[Darth Vitale]

I'm not worried about this kid's skating. As long as they make sure he has good fundamentals this summer at camp and give him some areas to focus on in that respect while in college, and he shows from one summer camp to the next that he's improving those areas, it's fine. For one thing if he hits his growth spurt, his skating is likely to suffer before it gets better the next year or two. Don't expect to have a good idea of his "mature stride / skating style" for at least 3 years.

Might actually benefit us that we get to instruct him before his body changes / his muscles fully develop. Might make it easier for him to rebuild his stride a bit in college and focus on strengthening the right muscle groups in the right way, etc. As opposed to a kid who is more mature and has already developed muscle memory, possibly bad habits.

 

[Crafton]

Jesse Marshall ‏@jmarshfof 2m
Got some game tape on Jake Guentzel that I reviewed at lunch. Elite shot. Fast, accurate, overall a unteachable asset.

https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352142225041399810

Jesse Marshall ‏@jmarshfof 8s
Guentzel separates himself from previous Shero picks solely on his ability to shoot the puck. That's a first round wrister.

https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352142419065704448

Jesse Marshall ‏@jmarshfof 2m
Guentzel gets turnovers and he's just gone. He's leaving good USHL skaters completely in the dust. Quick turnaround game. Good skater.

https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352143389954801664

Jesse Marshall ‏@jmarshfof 59s
Guentzel is also an excellent dish man. I think this is a kid that, if he bulks up and gets stronger, could score some pro points.

https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352143536327630849

 

[deakka]

https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352142225041399810



https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352142419065704448



https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352143389954801664



https://twitter.com/jmarshfof/status/352143536327630849

ppl need to stop writing good things about this kid.
Raising my expectations like that!

 

[Fordy]

can he play wing

 

[wej20]

can he play wing

If he turns pro he'll probably end up on the wing, don't see many centres his size at the NHL level. Says he can play LW in the thread title.

 

[Fordy]

If he turns pro he'll probably end up on the wing, don't see many centres his size at the NHL level. Says he can play LW in the thread title.

yay he is my new favorite player