University of Nebraska Omaha Professional Athletes

Jake Guentzel is making his presence felt early in Tampa Bay's season, and UNO alumni watching the NHL had plenty to track this week.

Guentzel Does His Part — Win and Loss Both

The Lightning's week was a tale of two games, and Guentzel was one of the few constants worth celebrating in both.

On Saturday, Tampa Bay dropped a 6-3 decision to the Colorado Avalanche — a lackluster team effort that the scoreline captures pretty honestly. Guentzel, however, wasn't the problem. The UNO product lit the lamp twice, giving him a multi-goal performance that stood out against an otherwise flat showing from the Lightning. The two goals offered cold comfort in a lopsided loss, but they put Guentzel's individual form on notice.

Three days earlier, the story had a better ending. Guentzel contributed a goal and an assist as Tampa Bay dispatched the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2. Nikita Kucherov headlined the night with two goals of his own, but Guentzel's goal-plus-assist gave the Lightning a two-way contributor they needed to close out the win cleanly. The +3 plus/minus Guentzel posted in a midweek win over the Golden Knights — a 6-2 blowout — adds further texture to what's shaping up as a strong early-season stretch for the former Maverick.

Across the week, Guentzel tallied three goals and an assist, with his club splitting the two tracked contests.

The Rest of the Alumni Board

Elsewhere in the NHL, a handful of other UNO-connected names were active, though without the same headline-grabbing production.

Nick Seeler logged work for the Philadelphia Flyers across three games this week. The defenseman picked up an assist in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Ducks, though he finished that game at -1. He was also in the lineup for Philadelphia's 3-1 win over the Sabres and their earlier 3-2 win over the Avalanche, though he went without a point in those contests.

Victor Mancini suited up for Vancouver in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, finishing the night at -1 as the Canucks struggled to generate offense.

The Big Picture

For UNO fans, the week belonged entirely to Guentzel. The 31-year-old continues to be the program's most prominent active NHL product, and his early-season numbers are backing up that billing. Three goals and an assist across two games — even with the ugly Saturday loss in the ledger — is the kind of production that keeps a veteran winger in coaches' good graces and fantasy lineups alike.

The Lightning's overall form is worth watching as the schedule deepens, but at the individual level, the Omaha pipeline has its marquee name performing right on cue.

Jake Guentzel is doing what he's done for most of his professional career — producing. The University of Nebraska Omaha product and Tampa Bay Lightning center is off to a productive early-season stretch, tallying points in multiple games during the week of Oct. 11–17 and reminding anyone who forgot just how dangerous he is when healthy and clicking.

Guentzel Piling Up Points in Tampa

The Lightning's 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders was a showcase performance for Tampa's top line, and Guentzel was right in the middle of it. He scored twice in that game, complementing Brandon Hagel's four-point night — which included his fourth career hat trick — and Nikita Kucherov's two assists. Guentzel's ability to find the net in a high-powered Lightning lineup is no surprise, but the timing matters: Tampa needed a statement win, and UNO's most prominent NHL product delivered one.

The production didn't stop there. Against the Kraken on Oct. 15, Guentzel added an assist and finished with a plus-1 rating in a tight 4-3 Lightning win. Then on Oct. 17 against Vancouver, he posted a goal and an assist in a 4-2 Tampa victory, capping the week with a three-game point streak. The lone blemish was a rough Tuesday outing against the Rangers — a 4-1 loss in which he finished minus-3 — but that game looked like an outlier against an otherwise strong week.

Through four games in the stretch, Guentzel logged 2 goals and 3 assists, a pace that puts him firmly among the Lightning's most reliable offensive contributors early in 2026-27.

Seeler Brings Structure in Philly

Nick Seeler isn't putting up points like Guentzel, but the Flyers defenseman is doing the quiet, necessary work that earns coaches' trust. The UNO blueliner turned in his best performance of the week on Saturday, posting an assist and a plus-2 rating in Philadelphia's 3-1 win over Ottawa — a result that snapped what had been a difficult stretch for the Flyers, who dropped games to the Kraken and Red Wings earlier in the week.

Seeler also picked up an assist in the Oct. 11 loss to Carolina. He brings a physical presence and defensive reliability that fits what Philadelphia has been trying to build on the back end, and his plus-2 outing against the Senators suggests he's hitting his stride.

Around the Rest of the Alumni Pool

Victor Mancini appeared in both of Vancouver's games during the week — a 3-2 loss to Florida on Oct. 15 and a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Guentzel and the Lightning on Oct. 17 — though no counting stats were recorded in either game for the Canucks defenseman.

Meanwhile, Ty Mueller remains in the AHL with Vancouver's affiliate but has been generating buzz with a strong start at that level. Whether that translates into an NHL call-up remains to be seen, but the Canucks are reportedly watching closely.

For UNO, the headline is clear: Guentzel is playing like a difference-maker, and Seeler is giving Philly steady minutes when they need them. Not a bad week for the Mavericks' NHL contingent.