| Kaiden Guhle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 18, 2002, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team | Montreal Canadiens |
| NHL Draft | 16th overall, 2020 Montreal Canadiens |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
Kaiden Guhle (born January 18, 2002) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 16th overall by the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Early life[]
Guhle was born on January 18, 2002, in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada[1] to parents Carrianne and Mark.[2] He was born into an athletic family; his mother was a figure skater, his father played basketball, and his older brother Brendan Guhle is a professional ice hockey player. As a result, the Guhle brothers began power skating at a young age.[3]
Playing career[]
Amateur[]
Prince Albert Raiders (2017–21)[]
Guhle was selected with the first overall pick in the 2017 WHL draft by the Prince Albert Raiders. In his first full season with the Raiders, the team won Ed Chynoweth Cup as the finals champion of the WHL. They played in the 2019 Memorial Cup, but did not advance out of the round-robin.[4] During the 2019–20 season, he had 40 points in 64 games.[1]
On October 6, 2020, Guhle was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, 16th overall, at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens on October 21, 2020, which included bonuses to a maximum of $420,000 in each season.[5] However, in November he was loaned to the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League until December 20.[6]
With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in the 2020–21 WHL season being reduced and delayed, Guhle began the season playing three games with the Laval Rocket in the AHL before joining the Canadian junior national team preparations. Due to a subsequent hand injury, he played only two games with the Raiders in the WHL, before resuming full training in June of 2021.[7]
Guhle made a strong impression at the Canadiens' training camp prior to the 2021–22 NHL season, and as a result coach Dominique Ducharme seriously weighed retaining him in the lineup, though noting it would not make sense to do so unless there was a regular place for him in the top six. Guhle himself said that he had not expected to still be in consideration a day before the roster announcement.[8] Ultimately he was not taken up, and returned to Prince Albert for the 2021–22 season.[9] Guhle played seventeen games with the Raiders, registering 2 goals and 13 assists, before being traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 1.[10]
Edmonton Oil Kings (2021–22)[]
The trade was part of the Oil Kings' bid to challenge the Winnipeg Ice for the WHL championship title.[4] Guhle record five goals and twenty assists in 25 regular season games with the Oil Kings, and was named the WHL Central Division's defenceman of the year.[11] After missing the final weeks of the regular season due to injury, he returned for the first game of the 2022 WHL playoffs, and scored three goals and two assists in the Oil Kings' four-game sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the quarterfinals.[12] The Oil Kings also swept the Red Deer Rebels in the second round, before winning the matchup with the Ice in the WHL Eastern Conference Final 4 games to 1. Guhle scored two goals and an assist in the series-clinching Game 5 win.[13] They went on to face the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL Finals, winning four games to two, the second Chynoweth Cup win of Guhle's career.[14] He was named the WHL Playoff Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the series, setting a team record for most goals by a defenceman in a single postseason (8).[15] The Oil Kings played in the 2022 Memorial Cup, but did not advance past the round robin.[16]
Professional[]
Montreal Canadiens (2022–present)[]
Following the conclusion of the Memorial Cup, Guhle began to rehabilitate a lower body injury that he had been playing through during the playoff run. As a result of this he did not participate in the team's development camp in July. He said that he "wanted to make sure that I was ready because there's a long season coming up. Hopefully, my first professional season."[17] Participating in pre-season games, Guhle was widely considered one of the most impressive young players in the Canadiens system, and was a perceived frontrunner to make the team's defensive lineup.[18] He scored three goals in the pre-season.[19] On October 10, it was confirmed that Guhle had made the Canadiens' opening night roster for the regular season.[20] In his NHL debut on October 12, 2022, Guhle played a team-leading 22:34 minutes of ice time in a 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.[21] With injuries to the team's more senior left-side defencemen, Mike Matheson and Joel Edmundson, Guhle continued to play top-line minutes for the Canadiens. He recorded his first NHL points, two assists, in a 3–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 17, and was named the second star of the game.[22][23] Guhle scored his first NHL goal in an October 27 3–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, helping the team to its first road victory of the season.[24]
International play[]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
Competitor for  Canada
| ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Silver | 2021 Canada | |
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
| Silver | 2019 Slovakia/Czech Republic | |
On November 3, 2018, Guhle was named captain of Team Canada Red at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[25] Following this, he was selected to join the Canada men's national junior ice hockey team at the 2021 World Junior Championships.[26] He finished the World Juniors with two goals and an assist in seven games as the team earned a silver medal following a loss to the United States.[27] The following year, Guhle was named captain of the Canadian team for the 2022 World Junior Championships.[28] After playing two games, the tournament was cancelled as a result of Omicron variant spread. Guhle said it was a disappointment given it being his final year of eligibility.[4] While the tournament would later be rescheduled for the summer, Guhle was unable to participate due to injury.[17]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 65 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 40 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 64 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 17 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 25 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 29 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 10 | ||
| 2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHL totals | 181 | 22 | 78 | 100 | 157 | 42 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 18 | ||||
| AHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Canada Red | U17 | 4th | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2019 | Canada | HG18 | 
|
5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |
| 2021 | Canada | WJC |
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 28 | ||||
Awards and achievements[]
| Award | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHL/WHL | |||
| Ed Chynoweth Cup | 2019, 2022 | [4][15] | |
| WHL Central Division Defenceman of the Year | 2022 | [11] | |
| WHL Playoff MVP | 2022 | [15] | |
| International | |||
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup silver medal | 2019 | ||
| World Junior Championships silver medal | 2021 | ||
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kaiden Guhle. Elite Prospects.
- ↑ Kaiden Guhle has winning on his mind. National Hockey League (October 16, 2020).
- ↑ "2020 Sneak Peek: Less is more for future stud Guhle", Sports Illustrated, April 26, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Van Diest, Derek (January 16, 2022). Defenceman Kaiden Guhle fitting in well with Edmonton Oil Kings. Edmonton Sun.
- ↑ Three-year, entry-level contract for defenseman Kaiden Guhle. National Hockey League (April 9, 2020).
- ↑ Bandits sign Ozzy Wiesblatt and Jake Neighbours on loan from WHL. Brooks Bandits (November 2, 2020).
- ↑ 2021 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #5 Kaiden Guhle (September 18, 2021).
- ↑ Hickey, Pat. "Canadiens prospect Kaiden Guhle surprised he's still in camp", Montreal Gazette, October 9, 2021.
- ↑ Arpon Basu [@ArponBasu] (11 October 2021). Dominique Ducharme announces Kaiden Guhle is heading to Prince Albert, he will not start the season with the Canadiens..
- ↑ Wahl, Chris (December 1, 2021). NHL prospects Guhle, Latimer swapped in blockbuster deal. Western Hockey League.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Western Hockey League [@TheWHL] (21 April 2022). Kaiden Guhle averaged a point per game during his 25 appearances with the Oil Kings, leading the Club’s blueline corps in that category..
- ↑ Kaiden Guhle Helps Edmonton Oil Kings Earn First Round Sweep (April 30, 2022).
- ↑ WHL Playoffs: Oil Kings rout Ice to reach Ed Chynoweth Cup final (May 28, 2022).
- ↑ Van Diest, Derek. "Edmonton Oil Kings put away Seattle Thunderbirds to win WHL championship", June 14, 2022.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Canadiens prospect Guhle named 2022 WHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player", June 14, 2022.
- ↑ Van Diest, Derek (June 27, 2022). Edmonton Oil Kings still champions despite being eliminated from Memorial Cup. Edmonton Sun.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Hickey, Pat. "Canadiens prospect Kaiden Guhle excited for a chance to play after rehab stint", September 18, 2022.
- ↑ Engels, Eric (October 6, 2022). Guhle a sure bet to start with Canadiens, Xhekaj closing in on spot.
- ↑ Cowan, Stu. "Canadiens finish preseason without a win after OT loss to Senators", October 9, 2022.
- ↑ Slafkovsky, Guhle, Xhekaj make Canadiens roster to open season (October 10, 2022).
- ↑ Engels, Eric (October 13, 2022). Guhle leads Canadiens' young players in season-opening win over Maple Leafs.
- ↑ Engels, Eric (October 17, 2022). Mature Guhle dominant in Canadiens' win over Crosby, Penguins.
- ↑ Basu, Arpon (October 18, 2022). Kaiden Guhle’s poise with the Canadiens is rooted in his experience in Prince Albert.
- ↑ Engels, Eric (October 27, 2022). Canadiens' unfazed young defence making key contributions to early-season wins.
- ↑ Canada names Captains as World Under-17 Hockey Challenge gets underway. Canadian Hockey League (November 3, 2018).
- ↑ Kaiden Guhle named to Team Canada roster for WJC. National Hockey League (December 11, 2020).
- ↑ Guhle looks to find Team Canada silver lining. Sherwood Park News (January 12, 2021).
- ↑ Cowan, Stu. "Canadiens prospect Kaiden Guhle named captain of Team Canada juniors", Montreal Gazette, December 20, 2021.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cole Caufield |
Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick 2020 |
Succeeded by Logan Mailloux |