Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates his goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period of an NHL game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 (Isaac Hale, Deseret News).
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Despite falling at home to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon, Utah Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther reached 40 goals for the first time in his NHL career.
Gunner’s got 4️⃣0️⃣! pic.twitter.com/0TkBx3wBas
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 11, 2026
There’s no denying that Guenther is one of the purest goal scorers in the National Hockey League.
His release is second to none and goalies around the league consistently struggle to stop his blazing one-timer.
Poetic that it’s a one-timer but Guenther’s offensive game goes well beyond just that spot.
He told us in the preseason that he wanted to diversify his scoring ability which is exactly what he’s done this year.
Unreal player. Just getting started.pic.twitter.com/5iUlxVb3yb
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 11, 2026
But reaching 40 goals for the Mammoth this year took more than simply settling for shots from the left face-off circle.
After taking the NHL by storm last season and consistently catching defenses off guard, teams began game planning for No. 11’s tactics which forced him to either adjust or struggle to remain effective.
During his media day interview before the season started, 11 recognized the need to diversify his goal scoring which is exactly what he’s done.
“Holding onto pucks down low, getting inside more, scoring greasier goals, scoring more in tight. That’s what I’m good at. Shooting it and finding different ways to score,” Guenther said during media day in regard to how his offseason training would help him become more effective.
As Guenther outlined, he couldn’t just be a one trick pony and expect to score more goals.
Rather, he needed to find ways to light the lamp in a collection of different ways to keep defenses honest and force them to respect him from anywhere on the ice.
“I wanted to get forty,” Guenther told KSL Sports. “Definitely a goal of mine growing up and stuff. I’ve always been a goal scorer so I think scoring forty would be a good accomplishment.”
“It feels good. Definitely something that I was eyeing down the stretch.”
So, what did it take to get there?
According to head coach Andre Tourigny, he’s achieved that milestone by combing his God given talent with healthy habits in order to get the most out of his game.
“I often say that there’s a difference between being capable of playing in the NHL and being a good player in the NHL,” Tourigny explained. “To be a good player in the league, it demands a lot of stuff off the ice as well.”
“The way he preps himself, the way he works on his body. I guarantee right now he’s in the gym. He’s doing all the things a good pro has to do to prep his body for what’s next. … Guenther is all around on and off the ice, is way more well-rounded at this point.”
The most promising aspect of Guenther scoring 40 goals this season is that he’s only 23-year-old.
He’s just barely scratched the surface in terms of his potential and already ranks top 10 in goals this season amongst the likes of Steven Stamkos, Alex DeBrincat, Matt Boldy, Nikita Kucherov and others.
“You know how much he means to this team,” Sean Durzi explained. “As a hockey player, he’s special. I remember the first time I met him; you see his release. If you compare it to now, it gets better every day.”
“For him to get forty, it’s a little bit of a teaser of what’s to come.”
As No. 11 continues on his young career, there’s no reason to question his ability to reach 50 or more goals on a fairly consistent basis.
As long as he continues to put the work in and remains dedicated to his craft, he’ll reach new milestones every year on his way to becoming Utah’s all-time leading goal scorer when it’s all said and done.
The Utah Mammoth will face the Calgary Flames on the road on Sunday night at 7 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
