Tom Kostopoulos was one of the first professional linemates Jake Guentzel had when Guentzel first arrived in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the end of the 2015-16 season. Guentzel, like many of his former American Hockey League teammates, often credits Kostopoulos as a major influence early in his development.
But Guentzel may have done Kostopoulos a favor, too.
“I think he put two years on my career,” Kostopoulos joked at last week’s Penguins development camp in Cranberry. “I was ready to hang ‘em up and he and Carter Rowney got me thinking, ‘Maybe I can still play.’ He’s one-of-a-kind. He’s probably the best hockey player I’ve played with in the American Hockey League.