Utah Hockey Club's Clayton Keller praises the immense potential of young teammate Dylan Guenther

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Tom Banks
September 23, 2024 (8:58 PM)

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Dylan Guenther was recently handed a huge contract by the Utah Hockey Club, and now one of his teammates has predicted an incredible future for him.

This past week, the Utah Hockey Club gave standout young forward Dylan Guenther a major new deal, signing him to an eight-year contract that will pay him just over $7 million annually.

On the surface, many have questioned the team for putting so much money into an unproven 21-year old, but during his brief stint in the NHL thus far, he's proven that he has unmatched potential in the organization. Through 78 NHL games, Guenther has tallied 24 goals and 26 points, and is only just improving as he heads into his first off-season with a guaranteed spot on the roster, with the team clearly seeing his potential.

Last season, Guenther scored 18 goals in just 45 games played, and with another season under his belt, he'll be much better for it in 2024/25, with the future looking very bright in Salt Lake City. Now, a teammate has come out in support of Guenther, with Clayton Keller predicting that the former No. 9 overall pick could be on Auston Matthews' level one day.

"I think [Dylan Guenther] is going to be a 50-goal scorer, without a doubt. After Auston [Matthews], I don't know many guys who can shoot the puck like [Guenther]."

This is very high praise, and while it can be chalked up to a teammate simply supporting a rising star, it's not the most crazy prediction, as Guenther tallied 45 goals in just 59 games back in 2021/22 with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. Obviously, he's still got plenty of growing to do at the NHL level, but if he continues to learn and grow, there's no reason why Guenther can't be a key piece that drags the Utah Hockey Club into contention behind some incredible campaigns in the coming years.