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Jake Guentzel is happy to have two familiar faces joining him at the AHL All-Star Classic at the end January.
Guentzel and teammate Tristan Jarry were named to the represent the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the Atlantic Division squad, which will be coached by Clark Donatelli.
While Guentzel is glad to be joined by Jarry and Donatelli at the event, he’s also looking forward to meeting some of the other top players from around the AHL.
“That’s what you take in the most,” he said. “You meet new guys and the people you play against every day. It will be fun.”
Guentzel, who made the team as a rookie, wasn’t a surprise pick. He leads the AHL with 18 goals and is second with 34 points in 27 games. Jarry, was selected for his first all-star team in just his second season in the AHL. He is tied for the league lead with 14 wins and has a 2.14 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
“You look forward to it every year and you hope you can crack the squad,” Jarry said. “There’s a lot of great goaltenders around the league. I’m fortunate to be chosen.”
Last season three Penguins were selected to the all-star team – Matt Murray, Dominik Simon and Derrick Pouliot, and none of them could make it due to either call-up or injury. Defenseman Will O’Neill was ultimately chosen to represent the Penguins in last year’s all-star game.
With Murray injured this year in Pittsburgh, there’s a chance Jarry could be recalled and miss this season’s all-star game. Still, Donatelli is looking forward to having his top goaltender and forward to play in this season’s three-on-three format.
“We play three-on-three a lot here. They’re used to it,” Donatelli said. “They’re both off to a really good start and it’s great to see them rewarded for their hard work.”
While this season’s format will likely be more conducive to producing offense and not very goaltender-friendly, Jarry said he isn’t worried.
“(The format) is fun for the fans and the players,” he said. “It’s nice to get all the best players from around the league and play together.”
Guentzel said being named an all-star is a reflection of the team in general and his linemates. The last time he made an all-star team was in juniors and Guentzel said the achievement ranks pretty high on his list of accomplishments.
“It’s a pretty cool honor,” he said. “Whenever you can be an all-star at this level it’s pretty special.”