As the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) season quickly approaches, one of the teams who will be interesting to watch should be the Denver Pioneers. Between a few players moving to the professional stages of their hockey career, accomplished head coach Jim Montgomery accepting a head coach position with the Dallas Stars in the NHL, and 11 freshmen arriving for the upcoming season, the Pioneers should be a story to follow throughout the season.
With plenty of fresh talent coming to the University of Denver, it seems only right to take a look at some of the highly-skilled players who may be impressing this upcoming season.
Given his resume, it is only right to begin with NHL drafted, speedy forward Cole Guttman.
Originally committed to play hockey at St. Cloud State University, Guttman decided to change commitments to University of Denver in November 2017.
Drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 180th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Guttman is a right-handed center who stands at 5’10” and 168 pounds. He has spent the past few seasons as a member of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he served as an assistant captain in the 2016-17 season.
13th in Saints history in single-season points scored (as a 17-year-old), 7th in Saints history in single season goals scored (also as a 17-year-old), and one of the most electrifying players in our more recent history.
We agree. https://t.co/5fCPAvlZ26
— Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) August 9, 2018
A product of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ hockey program, Los Angeles native Guttman worked his way up the ladder until he decided to join the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in the USHL. Following his short time with the development program, he was able to gain international hockey experience with the United States under-17 team in the US National Development Program (USDP) before joining the Fighting Saints for a couple of games to conclude the 2015-16 season.
It did not take long for Fighting Saints fans to take note of this speedy forward, as Guttman recorded 54 points in his first full season with the team. Guttman helped the Fighting Saints qualify for the playoffs, where they fell to the eventual Clark Cup Champions, the Chicago Steel in four games in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.
Guttman recorded four points throughout the Clark Cup playoffs for the Fighting Saints and was placed on the 2016-17 USHL All-Rookie team following the season.
Following his strong first full year with the team, Guttman was plagued by injuries that limited him to 17 games in the following season. However, despite not playing an entire season, he was still able to record 11 points.
What can he bring to the Pioneers?
Following a number of players graduating from the University of Denver, and some taking the next step to play professionally, the Pioneers will be looking for some new offensive weapons for the upcoming season to add to their skilled upper-class group of Jaakko Heikkinen, Tyson McLellan, and Jarid Lukosevius.
Luckily enough for the Pioneers, Guttman falls right into the skillset that they are looking for to help them have another successful season.
With his small frame, Guttman is a constant offensive threat for any opponent. His playmaking ability allows him to create scoring chances for himself as well as his teammates, and his overall hockey sense allows himself to keep the opponent guessing.
Along with a high hockey sense, Guttman is able to keep a consistent record of doing little things correctly on a night in and night out basis. He has a quick release that does not hinder his mobility and allows him to catch any goaltender off guard with a quick shot.
Scouts also report that Guttman has tremendous speed and excellent lateral movement when transitioning up and down the ice. Along with his offensive talent, Guttman is known to be a solid two-way forward with a strong overall game and is responsible defensively.