'We have a lot of faith in him': Utah HC signs rising star to 8-year deal
by Ryan Miller, KSL.com · KSL.comEstimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The cement floors in Dylan Gunether's family home served as the perfect training ground.
In a small nook in the basement sat a net surrounded by plastic sheeting — an attempt to save the walls and insulation as Guenther and his younger brother, Nathan, fired shot after shot into the alcove.
"My brother and I were down there all the time," the 21-year-old Utah Hockey Club forward said.
Time well spent.
All those reps in that basement helped develop an absolute torpedo of a shot. Guenther's nickname "Gunner" comes from more than just a play on his name. The puck rockets off his stick like it was shot out of a cannon.
That shot helped him record 18 goals and 17 assists in 45 games last season after the Coyotes called him up from the AHL. It was supposed to be a temporary call-up; he turned it into a permanent one.
And now, the Utah Hockey Club wants him around for the long haul.
Utah HC and Guenther finalized an eight-year contract extension, the team announced Friday.
"This is a very happy day for me and my family," Guenther said. "Everything about this organization is on the right track, and I know we have an opportunity to do some special things here for a long time. Utah is where I want to be, and I'm proud to commit to my teammates and the organization long term."
The deal reportedly has an average annual value of $7 million — a big number for a player who's played in just 78 NHL games. But it's a move that may look awfully smart down the road.
Guenther is viewed as a player on the verge of a breakout. By signing him to a long-term deal, Utah may end with a star for a bargain. The going rate for young core players on long-term contracts is usually around $8 million annually — a number that will likely go up as the salary cap rises.
All in all, it's a bet that Utah is happy to make.
"Everybody talks about the shooting ability, and I often say, even if Gunner was not shooting, he would be a hell of a player, and that says a lot about the player he is," head coach Andre Tourigny said. "The other thing about Gunner is he loves to defend. There's not a lot of offensive weapons like him who can shoot the puck and who embrace the other side until they get way older and they understand that's what makes a difference between winning and losing."
With that mature understanding of the game, it's not too big of a surprise that Guenther has done a fair amount of winning. He won the under-18 world championship (2021) and world junior championship (2023) with Canada and won two Western Hockey League Cups, too.
"He proved to everybody that he was a good player in key moments," Tourigny said. "He scored overtime goals and he scored winning goals and stuff like that. So we have a lot of faith in him as a player, but even more in him as a person."
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Ryan Miller
KSL.com Utah Jazz reporter