Kaiden Guhle has officially joined the Montreal Canadiens organization.
The Prince Albert Raiders defenceman signed an entry-level contract with the club on Tuesday, two weeks after he was selected 16th overall at the 2020 National Hockey League Draft.
In the deal, Guhle will earn $832,000 at the NHL level with a signing bonus of $92,500 for an annual average value of $925,000 per season.
The 18-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta. led all blueliners on the Raiders roster last season with 40 points in 64 games, which put him sixth in team scoring during the shortened campaign.
He also had an assist in five games for Canada in their silver medal showing at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The announcement of Guhle’s signing came just days after his Raiders teammate Ozzy Wiesblatt inked a deal with the San Jose Sharks, who chose him with the 31st overall pick.
The only other WHL player to sign a contract since the draft is Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours, who was the 26th overall pick by the St. Louis Blues.
Around the WHL
The Regina Pats made the first trade in the WHL since Aug. 4 on Tuesday morning, as they acquired 18-year-old blueliner Tom Cadieux from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a third round pick and a conditional seventh round pick in the 2023 WHL Draft.
Cadieux, who is from Saskatoon and was a second round pick by the Americans in 2017, has 10 points in 96 career WHL games.
