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M H J O N L I N E . C O M | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 30 P R E S E N T E D B Y It's a fast league now, one where fighting has largely decreased and clutching and grabbing has all but been eliminated. That allows smaller, faster guys to thrive. "Let's not forget, the rule chang- es over the years," said former Gophers star and Hibbing native Pat Micheletti, a 5-foot-10 North Stars draft pick who played 12 NHL games. "Back when I played, you could hook and hold. It was hard. It was hard for guys like me to get around the ice. But they've changed the rules, and now there's more ice, there's more freedom and the IQ, the smarts, that allows smaller guys to function." That is the key. You don't only need to be skilled to play in the NHL. You don't only have to skate well. You really do need to be smart. Guentzel Doesn't Quit Two years ago, Jake Guentzel, who grew up in Woodbury, burst onto the scene with the Pittsburgh Penguins by scoring 16 goals in 40 regular-season games. En route to a Stanley Cup, Guentzel tied the NHL record for playoff points by a rookie with 21 and his 13 goals were one off the rookie record set by Dino Ciccarelli once upon a time with the North Stars. Last season, as a sophomore in the NHL, Guentzel encored with 10 goals and 21 points in a ridicu- lous 12 playoff games. He stands 5-foot-11 and isn't exactly the most muscular hockey player around. "Jake got cut as a 15-year-old for the first development pro- cess in Minnesota Hockey to get to the national level," said former Gophers associate coach Mike Guentzel, Jake's dad who currently scouts for the Arizona Coyotes. "Size is either over- come by competing harder and learning from it, or you give up. Everybody can choose which one, but the good ones don't give up. I think what's happening in the game is the smaller players that are thinkers are going to contin- ue to grow and have a chance to be really successful." Coach Guentzel brought up the Wild's Nick Seeler, the for- mer two-time Eden Prairie State Champion. As a Bantam, Seeler was undersized. He played one shift in the state title game his sophomore year. Now he's one hard-nosed rookie defenseman. "He was small, everybody else grew past him, and then all of a sud- den he kept fighting and battling and next thing you know he ends up being an NHL player for the hometown team," Guentzel said. Spurgeon says it just comes down to believing in yourself. "I was told, 'No.' I was told, 'No,' a lot," Spurgeon said. "But I didn't quit. I worked hard and developed good habits and the skills to the point that someone gave me a chance. Many someones gave me a chance, actually. I just kept working for it. And I think that's a good message for small hock- ey-playing kids in Minnesota. "Anyone has a chance as long as you work. You can be the biggest guy with the most skill, but if you're not working, somebody's going to pass you by. Now, with the way the game is played and how fast it is, as long as you can skate and think the game, you're going to have a chance even if you're my size." Michael Russo covers the Minnesota Wild and National Hockey League for The Athletic. He has covered the NHL since 1995. He co-hosts the Russo- Souhan Show on talknorth. com and can be heard on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen throughout the hockey season on Fox Sports North. Follow Russo on Twitter at @RussoHockey. Looking for a good gift around the holidays? Consider a subscription to The Athletic. For a 30 percent discount ($3.49 per month), go to theath- letic.com/michaelrussohockey. If you're a student, you can get 50 percent off ($2.50 per month) at theathletic.com/student. Russo's Rants Jared Spurgeon's skills and hockey sense have allowed him to flourish as an undersized NHL defenseman. "I was told, 'No,' a lot. But I didn't quit … Now, with the way the game is played and how fast it is, as long as you can skate and think the game, you're going to have a chance even if you're my size." -Jared Spurgeon