As Cole Guttman Has Surged–So Too Have the IceHogs

As if being the American Hockey League’s player of the week wasn’t enough, how about being the AHL’s Player of the Month, too? Cole Guttman nabbed both honors with the heater he’s been on dating back to the start of the month. During the 12 IceHogs games in March, Guttman had 22 points with an even 11 goals and assists.

For the kid who captained Denver University to a National Championship two seasons ago, it’s not a surprise to IceHogs head coach Anders Sorensen.

“He’s a winner,” Sorensen said.

He’s also had a heck of a season. In 37 games with Rockford, he’s over a point-per-game with 40 points and 16 goals. In 11 of his past 12 games, Guttman has recorded at least a point, and includes a four-point effort (1-3) against Milwaukee in a 5-1 thrashing. The Admirals, who enjoyed a 19-game winning streak this season, had no answers for the surging IceHogs or Guttman.

In those 12 games, Rockford won all but two. The 24-year-old forward has been a catalyst to Rockford’s success–especially as of late.

“There’s lot of different parts of his game that you’re impressed with,” Sorensen said. “His ability to produce here–we saw it a bit last year but this year he’s taken it to a different level. He’s got some great chemistry with [Rem] Pitlick and [Brett] Seney–they think at the same wavelength and he’s good at finding space and finding open guys, he’s good off the puck–lots to like.”

He’s been especially great with the puck, too.

The Evolution of Cole Guttman

When Guttman was in Chicago, he spoke of how he worked on his shot, right down to the minute details of where to play and where to shoot. It’s certainly been noticed in Rockford.

“You can tell the difference,” Sorensen said. “He’s definitely shooting more with his feet and the different release points he has now has been a harder read for goalies than last year.”

So much of that success has come from his attention to detail.

“When it goes into scoring, it’s more than just your shot alone,” Guttman told Chicago Hockey Now. “It’s getting yourself into goal scoring situations and kind of getting into the hard areas in front of the net. Those are things I work on as well–go to video and see what you can do to put yourselves into those situations.”

Watching the video provides Guttman a chance to recognize how he can not only put more on his shot, but where he can be better on the ice.

“It’s mostly looking at myself kinda seeing what works and what doesn’t work,” Guttman said. “There isn’t anything too specific–it’s that I want to see how the specific game went.”

From there, he breaks down what went well to study that portion of his game–and then if things went the other way–he hones in on what needs to improve.

Guttman Credits Coaching Staff For His and Rockford’s Success

Guttman is quick to credit the work of the coaching staff, too, for the success he’s had.

“Anders has been great for me and great for the team as well,” Guttman said. “Coming into the pros, he’s really helped me adapt to the pro lifestyle and the schedule especially.”

Guttman attributed the smooth transition the pros as the work of Sorensen and his staff, both last year and this year as well. That video study Guttman relies on to improve? He compliments Sorensen for pulling him into his office last year as he adjusted to the grueling schedule. From there, he showed film and offered tips on navigating the pro schedule.

But it’s also the approach that not only benefits Guttman but the team as well.

“When it comes to our systems, he does a great job of breaking down video and teaching it to the players,” Guttman said. “He’s been great for me and I think he’s a big part of our success.”

So too, has Guttman–and the IceHogs can only hope those successes result in a deep playoff run.

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