Nathaniel Lawrence Guenin (born December 10, 1982) is an American former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
defenseman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL).
Playing career
Guenin played high school hockey in the Pittsburgh suburb of Hopewell. He was drafted 127th overall in the
2002 NHL Entry Draft
__NOTOC__
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was the 40th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 and 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Two hundred and ninety-one players were drafted in total: 35 from the Ontario Hockey League (OH ...
by the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...
. After completing a four-year collegiate career with the
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...
, Guenin was signed as a free agent by the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...
on August 16, 2006. Nate made his professional debut in the
2006–07 season with the Flyers affiliate the
Phantoms
Phantom may refer to:
* Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things
** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living
Aircraft
* Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy unm ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
. Later in the season Guenin made his NHL debut with the Flyers. Guenin recorded his first and second assists on March 31, 2007 vs. the
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...
.
After spending the next two seasons primarily with the Phantoms, Guenin signed with the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
on July 3, 2009. On February 11, 2010, Guenin was traded by the Penguins to the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
for
Steven Wagner.

On July 2, 2010, Guenin signed a one-year contract with the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
. He was assigned to start the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
season with AHL affiliate, the
Springfield Falcons
The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center.
In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ari ...
, but was later recalled and made his Blue Jackets debut in a 3-2 victory over the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confe ...
on October 16, 2010. After 3 games with Columbus, Guenin was returned to the Falcons and on January 4, 2011, was traded by the Blue Jackets to the
Anaheim Ducks in exchange for
Trevor Smith.
Guenin was signed to two-year extension with Anaheim on June 17, 2011. In the following
2011–12 season, Guenin made the Ducks opening night roster. His first NHL goal was scored on October 7, 2011 as a member of the Ducks against
Ryan Miller
Ryan Dean Miller (born July 17, 1980) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was drafted 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL E ...
of the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conf ...
. Guenin played in 15 games with the Ducks before he was reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch.
With the
NHL lockout
The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League:
* The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season
* The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...
in effect, Guenin was directly assigned to captain new Ducks AHL affiliate, the
Norfolk Admirals for the
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
season. On January 13, 2013, he was waived by the Anaheim Ducks in preparation of the shortened NHL season before returning to the Admirals. In 66 games, Guenin contributed with 4 goals and 24 points.
On July 5, 2013, Guenin was signed to a one-year, two way contract as a free agent with the Colorado Avalanche. Guenin impressed Avalanche coach
Patrick Roy
Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender and executive, who serves as the head coach for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 2017, Roy was named o ...
with his performance in the training camp before the season which led to him staying up with the NHL team for the start of the season. After playing the first 9 games with the Avalanche, Roy told Guenin he would be staying in the NHL for the rest of the season. Midway through the season, having held down his position among the Colorado blueline, Guenin was signed to a two-year contract extension on January 7, 2014.
In the
2015–16 season, Guenin struggled to reproduce his previous season form and was healthy scratched after going scoreless in 29 games. He was waived by the Avalanche on January 13, 2016 in order to bring up rookie defenseman
Chris Bigras
Christopher Bigras (born February 22, 1995) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Bigras was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Orillia, Ontario, but ...
and
Nikita Zadorov
Nikita Sergeyevich Zadorov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Задоров; born 16 April 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by ...
. Unclaimed, Guenin remained with the Avalanche as a reserve defenseman before he was again placed on waivers and assigned to AHL affiliate, the
San Antonio Rampage
The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sol ...
, on February 18, 2016.
At the conclusion of his contract and tenure with the Avalanche, Guenin signed a one-year, two-way contract to return for a second stint with the Anaheim Ducks on July 2, 2016. He is also a distant relative of Binghamton Bearcats defenseman, Nick Perry.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guenin, Nate
1982 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey defensemen
Anaheim Ducks players
Colorado Avalanche players
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Green Bay Gamblers players
Ice hockey players from Pennsylvania
New York Rangers draft picks
Norfolk Admirals players
Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey players
People from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players
Philadelphia Flyers players
Philadelphia Phantoms players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
San Antonio Rampage players
San Diego Gulls (AHL) players
Springfield Falcons players
Syracuse Crunch players
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players
People from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania