The Montreal Canadiens have locked up an important piece of their future by agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with top prospect Kaiden Guhle.
Guhle will earn $832,500 with a signing bonus of $92,500 in each year of the contract that he plays in the NHL. The contract also contains Performance “A” bonuses worth a maximum of $420,000 per season. If Guhle plays in the AHL, he will earn a salary of $80,000.
The 18-year-old was the 16th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft earlier this month. The left-shot defenceman had 40 points in 64 games with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders last season.
“I think I’m a very physical, very good-skating two-way defenceman,” Guhle said in a Zoom press conference after being drafted by the Canadiens. “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.”
Guhle, who is expected to return to the Raiders when the WHL season opens in January, joins a group of Canadiens blue line prospects that includes Alexander Romanov, Josh Brook, Mattias Norlinder, Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble.