On Tuesday morning, the Montreal Canadiens announced they have officially signed defenseman Kaiden Guhle. As the 16th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Guhle has been signed to a three-year entry-level deal worth an average annual value of $925,000. This contract will carry Guhle through the 2022-23 season.
Canadiens agree to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract (2020-21 to 2022-23) with defenseman Kaiden Guhle.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/2B7I45OG3L
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 20, 2020
Canadiens Sign Kaiden Guhle
Guhle is an 18-year old defenseman from the Western Hockey League. Originally from Alberta, Canada, Guhle played for the Prince Albert Raiders the past two seasons. During that time, Guhle played in 137 games for the Raiders. He put up 14 goals and 44 assists for 58 total points. On top of that, Guhle added 100 minutes’ worth of penalties within the Western league. Last season he scored 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points. He also added 56 minutes in penalties.
The new agreement for Guhle will see him make $832,500 at the NHL level, with a signing bonus of $92,500 per season, as well. The contract also includes what’s being called “performance A” bonuses set to a maximum of $420,000 per season. If Guhle were to find himself in the American Hockey League, he would be making $80,000 per season.
Kaiden Guhle at a Glance
Guhle is expected to return to Prince Albert for the upcoming WHL season. Guhle likes to play a hard hitting game, making life difficult on the opposition. Thats not to say Guhle is a one dimentional player. He is a good skater that can jump into the rush.
In a Zoom press conference after being drafted by the Canadiens Guhle said “I think I’m a very physical, very good-skating two-way defenceman,” “I like to be hard on other team’s best players. I like to make a good first pass, jump into the rush, use my skating to my advantage. Definitely like to be very physical on the ice. So I’d say a very good two-way defenceman, very physical, very good-skating player.”
For a full assessment of Guhle’s game, see LWOS Ben Kerr’s scouting report here.
Guhle joins a deep Habs defence prospect pool with Alexander Romanov, Josh Brook, Mattias Norlinder, Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble. Still, Guhle might be the best of the group as his ceiling a top pair defneceman. Moving forward, the Canadiens have found themselves a high-end defenceman for the future.
