The Utah Hockey Club quickly made its mark by scoring the first goal in its history, courtesy of a key player in the team’s future.

Forward Dylan Guenther put Utah ahead 1-0 just under five minutes into their inaugural game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night. He later added an empty-net goal, securing a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Guenther fired a powerful one-timer into the net, assisted by Logan Cooley and Michael Kesselring, marking the first goal for the franchise.

At just 21 years of age and in his third NHL season, Guenther recently signed an impressive eight-year contract extension valued at over $57 million. His goals during this game counted as the 25th and 26th of his career, recorded during his 79th NHL match.

Technically, Utah is a brand-new NHL franchise. The owners of the Utah Jazz, Ryan and Ashley Smith, took over the hockey assets from the Arizona Coyotes, who have become inactive. The acquisition was finalized in April, leading to a swift preparation for opening night, even while the club’s official name is still being finalized.

Guenther ensured that Utah began strong. The newly appointed captain Clayton Keller scored in the first period, while offseason addition Mikhail Sergachev assisted Barrett Hayton’s goal, pushing Utah to a 3-0 lead in the second period.

Connor Bedard of the Blackhawks managed to narrow the gap with assists on goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Foligno. However, Guenther’s late empty-net goal sealed the victory, followed by Lawson Crouse scoring for the franchise’s first win.

“Today has been quite a whirlwind, playing the very first game for the franchise,” Keller shared with ESPN. “We were filled with excitement all day and couldn’t wait to hit the ice. The atmosphere from the crowd was incredible, and I thought the team played hard; it felt great to win at home.”

(This story was updated to include new information.)