The Pittsburgh Penguins are known for their offensive prowess. But the club's run of success dating back to the midway point of 2015-16 can't solely be credited to the dominance of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel.

Around the periphery, the Penguins have seen a number of their young prospects take significant strides, emerging as dangerous complementary talents to the club's core stars.

Last season, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary chipped in. Both forwards proved their worth during the team's championship run, and both have built on that effort with an even more impressive 2016-17.

This time around, it's the Jake Guentzel show.

The 22-year-old rookie started off strong with two goals in his first NHL game, and he's managed to stay afloat and establish himself as a consistent contributor among the Penguins' veteran group.

He was gifted a golden opportunity earlier this month when Sheary was sidelined with an upper-body injury, leaving an open spot on the Penguins' top line - a chance to skate with one of the all-time greats. Head coach Mike Sullivan did some juggling, but eventually gave Guentzel a chance to continue the club's growing trend of surprising rookie performances.

And the young gun has thrived. He entered Tuesday night's game with seven points in 11 February tilts - the latter two points coming on the biggest of stages, the club's Stadium Series win over the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Guentzel continued his run by stepping up with a hard-fought goal midway through the second frame of his team's eventual 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

With the tally in tow, Guentzel's season now stands at 15 points through 24 games. Not bad for a 2013 third-round pick getting his first taste of the NHL. But for those paying attention, the impressive run isn't surprising.

Guentzel was tearing through the AHL prior to his NHL call-up. His 21 goals still rank as the most among all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins skaters, despite Guentzel having played roughly 20 fewer games than the club's other top scorers.

The future is looking bright in Pittsburgh, with Guentzel, Sheary, Rust, Scott Wilson, and Tom Kuhnhackl all rising up the ranks. That's a cruel twist of fate for the rest of the Metropolitan Division, as the club's past and present don't look too bad either.

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