Jake Guentzel

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Jake Guentzel (born October 6, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round, 77th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

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Playing career

Guentzel grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota, and played two years of varsity hockey at the Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minnesota, before committing to the University of Nebraska Omaha after his senior season.

After his junior year (2015-16 season) with the Nebraska-Omaha, Guentzel signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 23, 2016.

On November 21, 2016, he made his NHL debut, against the New York Rangers, and scored two goals on his first two shots. Despite this, the Penguins lost the game 5-2.

On March 21, 2017, Guentzel suffered a concussion on a check from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. He missed the next 4 games, while Ristolainen was suspended by the league for 3 games. On April 16, 2017, he scored a hat-trick, which included the game winning goal in overtime, to put the Penguins up 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became the first Penguins rookie to score a playoff hat-trick, and only the second rookie in NHL history to score a hat-trick and overtime goal in the same game of the playoffs. On June 11, 2017, Guentzel won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nashville Predators in six games. During the run, Guentzel recorded 21 points, tying Dino Ciccarelli and Ville Leino for points by a rookie in a single post-season. His 13 goals was one off of Ciccarelli's record.

Guentzel began the 2017-18 season in the NHL, putting up a career high 48 points in 82 games to help the Penguins qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. During the first round of the playoffs, Guentzel recorded four goals in an 8-5 Game 6 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He became the third Penguins player, behind Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens, to record four goals in a playoff game.

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Personal life

Guentzel comes from a hockey family. His father, Mike, was a standout athlete for Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minnesota, and subsequently played hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Later on Mike became the associate head coach at the University of Minnesota; Guentzel was a stick boy for the team when future Penguins teammate Phil Kessel played for Minnesota. His older brother, Ryan, played collegiately and professionally. Another older brother, Gabe, played in the North American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League before embarking on a four-year NCAA career at Colorado College.