The Montreal Canadiens have been saying it over and over again since the start of the rookie camp earlier this week: we are living in a very strange time.
This, caused by the pandemic of coronavirus, obviously brings its share of unexpected challenges. Among these is the evaluation of the hopes of the Montreal organization, including defenseman Kaiden Guhle, a first choice, 16th overall, from the CH in the NHL draft in 2020.
The Albertan admittedly has the physique for the job, at six feet, three inches and 203 pounds at just 19 years old. He also stood out last winter with Canada during the World Junior Hockey Championship.
But there.
Last year, he only played two games with his junior club, the Prince Albert Raiders, and three more with the Canadiens’ school club, the Laval Rocket. In addition to having been injured in one hand – an injury which required several weeks of rehabilitation. Not exactly ideal for preparing a youngster to play 82 games against men.
But as Rob Ramage, the Canadiens player development director at the start of the camp, has repeatedly said, Guhle is not the only one in this position. And it may not be as bad as you think.
” We will see. I visited London a few weeks ago, and they have the same issues. The youngsters did not play last year; they were looking for a pond to skate. Regarding Kaiden, he behaves like a professional, so he will be ready. But there will be rust, that’s for sure, like many young players in the camp ”.
Guhle therefore prefers to live on hope, like most people elsewhere.
“It will be a very important season, especially if we find a little normalcy. It would be nice to have a full season in Prince Albert, and relive the bus trips with the guys. It’s little things that I miss, ”he admitted.
While the sample is still thin, the Raiders captain admitted earlier this week that he noticed a huge gap between the junior and pro ranks.
“The pace of the game was much higher at the Rocket last year. These players are big and fast, and they make you pay for your mistakes. Here, I will therefore try to build on this experience and limit them [les erreurs] », He confided.
“They told me last year to limit the time I take to handle the puck. This is what I tried to work on during my stay in Laval last year. This is the kind of detail that I will have to improve, ”continued Guhle, adding that he performed specific exercises on this subject during training with his junior club.
And that’s exactly what he put into practice in the Canadiens’ first rookie game, in a 4-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night. Despite the end result, Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle appeared satisfied with his performance.
“He’s got a good skate. He had some good climbs with the puck today. He landed some good shots. But we did not come together enough today, and it was difficult in that regard for all the defenders. Our forwards need to come back and offer pass options to our defenders. That being said, in general, he had a good game, ”noted Houle.
William Trudeau, who played sporadically with him on the second power play wave on Saturday, was full of praise for his teammate.
“He’s an excellent defender, you see him in training and on the ice today. It is always very difficult to outsmart him; the puck can pass, but the player cannot. He’s a good skater, and he gives a good first pass, ”said Trudeau.
Guhle thus left a good first impression, both with the management and with his team-mates.
It will now be a question of determining if he can keep up the pace, while correcting his small shortcomings, in order to obtain his ticket to the official camp of the Canadiens. Otherwise, he can always return to the Raiders. The main interested party, rather discreet, however refused to come forward on this subject.
” It’s hard to say. There are so many good players here. All I can do is concentrate on my game and be intense on the ice, ”he concluded, modestly.
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