Nearly four years ago, mere months after the hockey world was halted to a stop, the Montreal Canadiens selected Prince Albert Raiders defenseman Kaiden Guhle as the 16th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Edmonton, Alberta native was fresh off of a 40-point season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was heralded for his defensive awareness and poise for his young age.
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Unfortunately, much like the majority of junior hockey players the following season, Guhle only stepped into five games of action — three with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Laval Rocket, and two with Prince Albert. Despite being stripped of virtually an entire season of crucial development in his first season post-draft, he still managed to excel in 2021-22. As the world veered towards being somewhat normal, he was able to play in 42 WHL games, matching his previous high of 40 points in 22 fewer games. A mid-season trade saw him headed to his hometown team, the Edmonton Oil Kings. He recorded eight goals and eight assists in 19 playoff games and was named Playoff MVP en route to a Memorial Cup appearance that spring.
Guhle also skated for Team Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championships, scoring four points in seven games. He returned for the 2022 tournament, as the team captain. However, the tournament was famously cancelled prior to the New Year, resuming in August, though he opted not to play due to the upcoming NHL season. The bruising defender has since played in over 100 NHL games, consistently playing over 20 minutes per game, and despite his offensive game having yet to completely translate to the professional level, he has proven why he can be trusted logging heavy minutes on Montreal’s back end.
Promising Start to Young Career
After scoring a respectable 18 points in 44 games and averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game on a poor Canadiens team, expectations were for Guhle to take another step in his development. The likelihood of him eventually turning into an extremely reliable, agile, and responsible top-pairing defenseman was seemingly growing greater with each game of experience.
His offensive numbers have regressed in 2023-24 on a similarly poor Canadiens roster (16 points in 64 games), though he is currently averaging over 21 minutes per game — second among Habs defensemen behind only Mike Matheson. He has been entrusted with a larger role, consistently skating on the team’s top defensive pairing alongside Matheson.
Excelling Outside of the Scoresheet
In terms of statistical improvements, he paces the Canadiens with 170 blocked shots, which is an astounding 27 more than the second-place Matheson. That mark puts him tied with New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba for sixth in the entire NHL. His 104 recorded hits rank third on the team, behind only Juraj Slafkovsky and Michael Pezzetta. As evidenced by these numbers, Guhle’s role has shifted towards a more defensively-inclined playing style, complementing the offense-first style of game Matheson plays.
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Always having been a phenomenal skater, he has seen noticeable strides in his gap control and creation and recognition of space, fully displayed on several occasions this season. He played arguably his best game of the season on Tuesday night in his hometown of Edmonton, scoring his first goal in 19 games while blocking four shots in nearly 24 minutes of ice time. He was trusted with shutting down the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — an incredibly tall task for a 21-year-old sophomore defenseman.
Guhle displayed his gifted spatial awareness by using his powerful stride to find open space after breaking out of his own zone, where Jake Evans hit him with a perfect pass in motion. He made numerous notable plays, including swiping a puck out of the goal crease which helped the Habs secure a point by extending the game into overtime.
He’s played north of 24 minutes on ten occasions this season, including a career-high 26:08 on Oct. 30 in Vegas (boasting a plus-2 rating with three shots on goal and three blocks in a 3-2 shootout loss). Despite being younger than most of the team’s already-young core, such as the likes of Cole Caufield (23), Kirby Dach (23), Alex Newhook (23), and even rookie Jayden Struble (22), he has established himself as a reliable and seemingly veteran presence on a hugely inexperienced Canadiens blue line. Fans should be immensely hopeful and excited for the young Alberta native to continue to blossom into one of the league’s premier young rearguards.
