Cole Guttman (born April 6, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Cole Guttman
Born (1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 25)
Northridge, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Chicago Blackhawks
Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
NHL draft 180th overall, 2017
Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career 2022–present

Playing career

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Growing up in Los Angeles, Guttman played youth hockey for several local California-based minor teams before eventually working his way up to the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League. In his first full season with the Fighting Saints, Guttman scored 54 points in 53 games, catching the attention of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[1] Guttman was named captain of Dubuque prior to his selection in the NHL draft; his sophomore USHL season saw a decrease in production. Although initially committed to the St. Cloud University, Gutzmann ultimately enrolled at the University of Denver in 2018, where he played for the school's Pioneers ice hockey club for all four years of his schooling.[1] In 2021, he served as captain of the Pioneers.[2] In his final season with Denver, he captained the team to the 2022 NCAA championship.[3]

Tampa Bay did not sign Guttman to a contract prior to his rights expiring on August 15, 2022, making Guttman an unrestricted free agent. On August 18, Guttman inked a two-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $950,000 annually, the maximum allowable on rookie contracts.[4] Chicago, who at the time was considered to have a weak forward prospect pool, were intrigued by Guttman's potential NHL ceiling.[5]

Guttman was assigned to Chicago's American Hockey League affiliate team, the Rockford Icehogs, for his first professional season. He would collect 30 points in 39 games with the Icehogs before being called up by the Blackhawks on February 15, 2023, amid a flurry of recent injuries for the club.[6] He made his NHL debut that evening, playing just over twelve minutes in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. On February 20, in his third career game, Guttman scored his first NHL goal again in a match against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[7] Guttman appeared in 14 games with the Blackhawks, registering four goals and six points, before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery on March 14.[8]

Personal life

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Guttman's family were originally from Hungary. After surviving the Holocaust, the Guttmans made their way to North America via a displaced persons camp.[9]

Cole was born in Los Angeles, to parents Brent and Julie Guttman, and is Jewish.[10] He has a younger brother, Jeremy, who attends the University of Michigan.[2] Guttman's favourite musical artist is Post Malone.[2] He is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[2]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Los Angeles Jr. Kings U16 T1EHL 24 9 16 25 16 4 0 3 3 14
2015–16 Los Angeles Jr. Kings U16 T1EHL 30 24 24 48 34 4 3 2 5 6
2015–16 U.S. National Development Team USHL 3 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 2 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 53 27 27 54 18 6 1 3 4 2
2017–18 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 17 6 5 11 21
2018–19 University of Denver NCHC 41 14 12 26 18
2019–20 University of Denver NCHC 35 14 14 28 22
2020–21 University of Denver NCHC 23 8 14 22 12
2021–22 University of Denver NCHC 41 19 26 45 26
2022–23 Rockford IceHogs AHL 39 16 14 30 26
2022–23 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 14 4 2 6 2
2023–24 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 27 4 4 8 7
2023–24 Rockford IceHogs AHL 39 16 24 40 30
NHL totals 41 8 6 14 9

Awards and honours

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Award Year
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2017
College
NCAA Championship (Denver Pioneers) 2022 [3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Lightning select C Cole Guttman in sixth round of NHL Draft". National Hockey League. June 14, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cole Guttman - University of Denver Athletics". University of Denver. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Chambers, Mike (April 10, 2022). "CDU Pioneers alumni revel in ninth NCAA hockey championship: "It was a great night all around"". The Denver Post. Digital First Media. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Chambers, Mike (August 18, 2022). "Blackhawks sign Cole Gutmann man to 2-year contract". NBC Sports. NBC News. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Pope, Ben (January 9, 2023). "Blackhawks intrigued by prospect forward Cole Guttman's potential NHL upside". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Public Media. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Roumeliotis, Charlie (February 15, 2023). "Blackhawks announce roster moves amid flurry of injuries". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  7. ^ "Patrick Kane's hat trick powers Blackhawks over Maple Leafs". The Rink Live. February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Chicago Blackhawks forward Cole Guttman has shoulder surgery". The Sports Network. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs vs Chicago Blackhawks Post-Game". NHL on Sportsnet. February 19, 2023. Sportsnet.
  10. ^ Gurvis, Jacob (October 20, 2023). "All the Jewish NHL players to watch in the 2023-2024 season".
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