Guenther's powerful 1-timer making noise for Mammoth in Western 1st Round

SALT LAKE CITY -- One of the best shots in the NHL has been on display in the Western Conference First Round, and the story behind it is a mix of classic Canadian folklore and modern stick science.

Forward Dylan Guenther has scored on a wicked one-timer from the top of the left circle in each of the past two games, helping the Utah Mammoth to two straight wins against the Vegas Golden Knights and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Guenther will try to replicate it again in Game 4 at Delta Center on Monday (time TBD; Utah16, SCRIPPS, ESPN).

Even Vegas coach John Tortorella -- who rarely says much about opponents, especially during a Stanley Cup Playoff series -- praised Guenther to defend goalie Carter Hart after Utah’s 4-2 win in Game 3 on Friday.

“No one’s stopping Guenther’s shot,” Tortorella said of Guenther’s power-play goal that gave the Mammoth a 2-0 lead at 17:45 of the first period. “That’s just a bomb.”

Guenther lit the fuse in his parents’ basement growing up in Edmonton. The scene was pretty much what you’d imagine -- an unfinished area with a hockey net, shooter tutor and dented ducts.

How many pucks a day did he shoot?

“I would never count, but I mean, like, hundreds,” the 23-year-old said. “I’d just get home from school and go down there and shoot pucks. … I’ve always kind of had a good shot. That was kind of my thing growing up. I could shoot it really good.”

Since the Arizona Coyotes selected him with the No. 9 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, Guenther has piled up goals and kept working on his craft.

In 2021-22, he had 45 goals in 59 regular-season games and 13 goals in 16 playoff games for Edmonton of the Western Hockey League, helping the team win the WHL title.

In 2022-23, he had 13 goals in 20 regular-season games and 16 goals in 19 playoff games for Seattle of the WHL, helping to capture another league crown.

He also had seven goals in seven games for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, including the golden goal on the rush in a 3-2 overtime win against Czechia in the final, and six goals in 33 games for the Coyotes that season.

Meanwhile, he studied some of the top goal-scorers in the NHL, such as Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak.

“I would watch them and kind of emulate that,” he said. “I feel like in the NHL, the defensemen are really good, so the biggest thing is trying to get it around them, shoot it through them. If you can’t see it, it’s hard to save, no matter what level.”

Over the past three seasons, Guenther’s goal totals have grown.

He had 18 goals in 45 games for the Coyotes and 10 in 29 games for Tuscon of the American Hockey League in 2023-24.

After the NHL established a new franchise in Utah and acquired Arizona’s hockey assets, he had 27 in 70 games for the Utah Hockey Club last season, then 40 in 79 games for the rebranded Mammoth this season.

“It’s just so cool to see,” linemate Logan Cooley said. “His release is similar to Matthews’ in my opinion, the way he can just seamlessly find ways to just get it off. I don’t know. It’s unbelievable. I think the biggest thing that I can take away from it is just how powerful and quick that he can drag around guys and just find a way to get it through.”

Guenther also uses a stick with a whippy 77 flex.

“When you see his (one-timer) in slow motion, you can see it,” Cooley said. “It looks like it’s almost breaking. Like, he’s leaning so much into it.”

To put that in perspective, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev uses a stick with a stiffer 100 flex.

“I have a hard shot too, but his looks like a slingshot,” Sergachev said. “It’s a delayed shot, and I think that’s why it messes up goalies so much, because it’s like, there’s the point of contact, and then it’s still on the stick, and he bends it so much, so it just kind of flies out of there.”

Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek, who faces Guenther in practice, concurs.

“It’s hard to read it from the stick where he’s shooting,” he said. “That’s a big point for the goalie. You’re trying to read it where the player’s going to shoot, but from his stick, it’s really hard.”

The best part for the Mammoth is Guenther is still developing. Coach Andre Tourigny said he has “that special gift, that special release,” and maybe has added 10 miles per hour the past few years. 

But each time Tourigny is asked about Guenther’s shot, he brings up how Guenther has become a better all-around player.

“He keeps finding different areas to score,” general manager Bill Armstrong said. “He’s kind of one of those guys that if you stop him, he’ll figure out a way to put it in, you know?”

Guenther brought up the player most famous for firing one-timers from the left circle, the NHL’s all-time leader with 929 regular-season goals, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.

“It’s hard to score the same way all the time,” Guenther said. “I think even, like, Ovechkin scores a lot more in tight now and stuff, so I think just the adaptation, being able to score from everywhere, is the biggest thing for me.”