Utah Hockey Club: What Makes Dylan Guenther And Logan Cooley So Talented?

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s no secret that Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley have taken their game to a whole new level this season for the Utah Hockey Club. In 29 games, Guenther currently leads the team in points with 28 while Cooley is in third with 24.

So, what is it that makes these two players so talented? It’s a collection of special individual skillsets, an ever-developing chemistry between them and a hunger to get better every day.

The game is slowing down for Utah’s Logan Cooley

If you pay close attention to Cooley for just a few minutes, it’s obvious that he’s a special player with incredible potential.

Given his blazing speed, phenomenal puck handling skills, elite creativity and remarkable vision, Cooley has been all over the ice and elevated his game to a new level.

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“It’s been a consistent improvement for him,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “He’s been good since day one but he’s progressing all the time. He’s extremely competitive. Cool’s is the kind of guy who is mad after two-point night because he could have four. Cool’s satisfaction is not really something we see often. I’m not saying that in a bad way…he’s always a guy who wants more…he has that DNA.”

Looking back at last season, Cooley finished the year with 20 goals and 24 assists (44 points) as he averaged .53 points per game.

Through only 29 games thus far, he is averaging .82 points per game and is on pace to finish with 68 points, up 54 percent from last season.

According to Cooley, part of the reason for his success is that the game is really slowing down for him.

“For sure. Just from last year too. Obviously, when you first come into the league, it’s super-fast and you just try to find a way to play in this league. This year, I think it’s slowed down a lot and allows me to make more plays and see the game differently,” Cooley said.

Cooley is clearly a special player and possesses such a well-balanced overall game. He’s scoring, orchestrating, getting to the net, finding his teammates, coordinating zone traffic and helping out defensively.

The most exciting news? He’s only 20 years old and is hungry to keep improving.

“I don’t want to set any limits,” Cooley said. “For us, we’re just trying to build each and every day. Become the players we want to be and we’re still young. This is only our second years in the league. We’re still learning a lot and trying to build off each game, each practice, and just try to get better each day.”

Dylan Guenther is on track to become an NHL superstar

In just his first full season in the NHL, 21-year-old Dylan Guenther has been a merciless offensive monster as he currently leads the Utah Hockey Club in goals (12) and points (28).

Additionally, he also leads the team in power play goals/points (5), multi-point games (8), multi-goal games (4) and is tied with Clayton Keller for the most three-point games (2).

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As for last season, Guenther finished with 18 goals and 17 assists (35 points) in 45 appearances. Obviously, he’ll play nearly twice as many games in 2024-25, but as of right now he’s averaging .96 points per game, up from .77 last year.

Elite players find ways to be effective despite drawing a plethora of attention from the opposition. Not only is Guenther an elite sniper, but he’s also assisting his teammates on a consistent basis.

“When I get it, I want to look to attack and shoot,” Guenther said. “But, just making sure I’m creating motion and finding ways to make the power play successful.”

After experiencing a cold streak earlier in the season, No. 11 has made a relentless effort to find open space and generate motion. The results? Lots of goals for the Utah Hockey Club.

Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther are elevating Utah to new heights

As Guenther and Cooley have both taken significant strides in their game this season, the team’s potential has been elevated as a direct result.

With five wins in their last eight games and two additional points from overtime losses to Edmonton and Minnesota, Utah currently has 31 points which places them well in the wild card race.

“We’re better this year. We’re a better team. We’re trying to build & improve & I think that we’ve done that. Even when we weren’t getting the wins, it felt like we were playing pretty well. So, just focusing on the process,” Guenther explained.

After hitting reset four years ago and rebuilding primarily through the draft, the Utah Hockey Club has clearly struck gold with these two young players.

If they can continue developing and producing like they have, Cooley and Guenther could become superstars and will bring a lot of success to Salt Lake City.

Utah Hockey Schedule

The Utah Hockey Club will now travel to San Jose to face the Sharks on Saturday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule. 

Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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