Kaiden Guhle: Meteoric Rise Explained

When Kaiden Guhle scored his first goal of preseason camp on Sept. 29, the young defenseman winked as he skated to the Winnipeg Jets bench.

Brimming with arrogance and self-confidence, the Montreal Canadiens’ 2020 first-round pick took offense to one man in particular: Brad Lauer.

Hired by the Manitoba organization over the summer, the 55-year-old coach was Guhle’s head coach for 25 games with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings last campaign.

Lauer led the 20-year-old fullback in their quest for a WHL championship in which his protege was crowned playoff MVP with eight goals and 16 points in 19 games.

“He was very excited to score. We texted after the game and I said, “Congratulations on your goal good luck“, chuckled assistant Rick Bowness in a recent interview with TVASports.ca.

“I wish him the best of luck in camp. We’ll try to keep in touch. He’s a very special boy.”

Besides the fact that he has a good first pass and likes to deliver calculated shoulder shots, the powerful rookie sets a goal for himself, a Jets hockey insider appreciates: “He wants to be a complete defender. He wants to be reliable defensively while using his creativity to support the attack.

Photo credit: AFP

In a mission

Although he had to nurse an injury during the off-season, Guhle has been in excellent form in Habs camp. He did not want to make a good impression, he intended to impress the decision-makers.

It’s time for decisions…