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Kaiden Guhle

Hockey Canada Announces Final World Junior Roster

at CDT | by 11 Comments

After a month-long selection camp that included a two-week quarantine period, Hockey Canada has finally made their final cuts and announced the roster that will be competing at the upcoming World Junior Championship. The event starts in two weeks in Edmonton, Alberta and will host teams from all over the world. The best junior-aged players will compete for gold in a year unlike any other.

Because the NHL has not started yet, players like Kirby Dach and Quinton Byfield will get the chance to compete for Canada at the end of 2020. Dach missed the tournament a year ago thanks to his commitments with the Chicago Blackhawks but should be a leader this year at the tournament. Byfield meanwhile will get a chance to convince the world that his struggles at the event last year were not indicative of his talent, while trying to add a second gold to his trophy cabinet.

Canada’s roster is loaded up front, with incredible offensive talent all the way to the final forward spot. But perhaps their defense too will be a force with names like Bowen Byram and Jamie Drysdale leading the way. In net, somewhat unheralded prospects will get the chance to prove they are winners, with Taylor Gauthier the only undrafted player on the final roster.

The full roster is as follows:

F Kirby Dach (CHI)
F Connor Zary (CGY)
F Dylan Holloway (EDM)
F Cole Perfetti (WPG)
F Jakob Pelletier (CGY)
F Alex Newhook (COL)
F Ryan Suzuki (CAR)
F Connor McMichael (WSH)
F Peyton Krebs (VGK)
F Quinton Byfield (LAK)
F Dawson Mercer (NJD)
F Dylan Cozens (BUF)
F Philip Tomasino (NSH)
F Jack Quinn (BUF)

D Braden Schneider (NYR)
D Kaedan Korczak (VGK)
D Bowen Byram (COL)
D Thomas Harley (DAL)
D Jamie Drysdale (ANA)
D Jordan Spence (LAK)
D Kaiden Guhle (MTL)
D Justin Barron (COL)

G Devon Levi (FLA)
G Taylor Gauthier (undrafted, eligible for 2021)
G Dylan Garand (NYR)

This means that Mavrik Bourque, Samuel Poulin, Donovan Sebrango, Ryan O’Rourke, Jamieson Rees, Seth Jarvis, Graeme Clarke, Gage Goncalves, and Lukas Cormier were the team’s final cuts.

Hockey Canada Announces 2020 World Junior Selection Camp Roster

at CDT | by 8 Comments

12:10pm: A few hours after this roster was published, Team Canada has gotten a big addition. Kirby Dach will also be attending the camp, loaned by the Chicago Blackhawks to the program. As Darren Dreger of TSN tweets, the young forward would return to the Blackhawks if the NHL starts before the tournament. Dach, 19, didn’t play in the tournament a year ago because he was busy suiting up in the NHL, where he scored 23 points in 64 games and was one of Chicago’s best players in the postseason.

10:15am: The World Junior Championship will be played in a bubble this year, using the same Edmonton locations that the NHL did in their return to play. Since junior and professional leagues in North America are not operating at full capacity right now (if at all), the Team Canada selection camp for the tournament will be an unprecedented 28-day event starting on November 16 in Red Deer, Alberta. 46 players have been named to the selection camp roster, vying for spots on the team that will play in late-December.

The roster includes:

G Brett Brochu (2021 draft eligible)
G Dylan Garand (NYR)
G Taylor Gauthier (2021 draft eligible)
G Tristan Lennox (2021 draft eligible)
G Devon Levi (FLA)

D Justin Barron (COL)
D Bowen Byram (COL)
D Lukas Cormier (VGK)
D Jamie Drysdale (ANA)
D Kaiden Guhle (MTL)
D Thomas Harley (DAL)
D Daemon Hunt (MIN)
D Kaedan Korczak (VGK)
D Mason Millman (PHI)
D Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
D Owen Power (2021 draft eligible)
D Matthew Robertson (NYR)
D Braden Schneider (NYR)
D Donovan Sebrango (DET)
D Jordan Spence (LAK)

F Adam Beckman (MIN)
F Mavrik Bourque (DAL)
F Quinton Byfield (LAK)
F Graeme Clarke (NJD)
F Dylan Cozens (BUF)
F Tyson Foerster (PHI)
F Gage Goncalves (TBL)
F Ridly Greig (OTT)
F Dylan Holloway (EDM)
F Seth Jarvis (CAR)
F Peyton Krebs (VGK)
F Hendrix Lapierre (WSH)
F Connor McMichael (WSH)
F Dawson Mercer (NJD)
F Alex Newhook (COL)
F Jakob Pelletier (CGY)
F Cole Perfetti (WPG)
F Samuel Poulin (PIT)
F Jack Quinn (BUF)
F Jamieson Rees (CAR)
F Cole Schwindt (FLA)
F Xavier Simoneau (2021 draft eligible)
F Ryan Suzuki (CAR)
F Philip Tomasino (NSH)
F Shane Wright (2022 draft eligible)
F Connor Zary (CGY)

Obviously, the biggest omission here would be top draft pick Alexis Lafreniere, but given his previous comments about wanting to focus on the New York Rangers and making the transition to the NHL, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Hockey Canada could add him to the group at any point should NHL training camps be delayed further, but at this point, it appears as though the tournament will not feature the first-overall pick.

On the other side of that coin however is Byfield’s inclusion, giving the Canadians a superstar talent to build their forward group around. Byfield would be one of several returning players to the tournament and could be part of an outstanding offensive attack. One of the biggest stories will be whether that attack includes Shane Wright, the youngest player invited and one of the next great Canadian prospects. The 16-year-old center was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL a year early and ended up winning the CHL Rookie of the Year award by putting up 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games for the Kingston Frontenacs.

Kaiden Guhle Signs Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have signed their top draft pick, inking Kaiden Guhle to a three-year entry-level contract. Guhle was selected with the 16th pick in the draft earlier this month and plays for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. The contract will have an average annual value of $925K and includes Schedule “A” performance bonuses up to a maximum of $420K in each year.

Guhle, 18, scored 40 points in 64 games for the Raiders this season, but actually is much more known for his play on the defensive side of the puck. The 6’2″ defenseman uses his brilliant mobility and active stick to shut down rushes quickly and effectively before moving the puck to his forwards instead of carrying it into the offensive zone himself. He can play both special teams but once again excels more in the penalty-killing role and could become a true shutdown defender in the NHL.

Obviously, that goal will need some development time, something that is very up in the air at this point. It’s not clear when the WHL will return for the 2020-21 season, meaning Guhle’s development may have to come somewhere else. First on his schedule could be the World Juniors, where he could be a big piece of Team Canada. He was included in the virtual camp this summer and has a history with the national team, winning silver at the most recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.

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