The Raiders announced a seven-person leadership group for the season, with Guhle serving as captain. (Prince Albert Raiders)

By Trevor Redden

Captain Guhle

‘He knows how to win’: Guhle ready to lead Raiders into new season

Feb 23, 2021 | 11:50 AM

Through 15 seasons as a Western Hockey League (WHL) head coach, Marc Habscheid had never selected a team captain that wasn’t in their final two years of eligibility.

That changed on Tuesday when the club announced Kaiden Guhle as the 44th captain in franchise history.

“I think that speaks for itself with Kaiden. He’s earned the opportunity, he’s earned the right,” Habscheid explained.

Guhle enters his third season with the Raiders with an impressive track record behind him. The defenceman was selected first overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, and played a key role as a 16-year-old rookie as Prince Albert won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champion. This past year, he was selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, 16th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens before representing Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championships.

“There’s lots of dimensions to him both as a player and as an individual that lends itself to him being a good captain. He’s learned from some great guys, and the greatest thing is he’s a winner. He knows how to win, he’s been a part of winning, and to transfer that knowledge is important,” Habscheid said.

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Since Guhle joined the club on a full-time basis, the Raiders have done plenty of winning. The team has a combined regular season and playoff record of 106-38-8-6 in that span. Guhle has been a significant contributor to these winning teams, but he’s also been able to learn from the players around him.

While he’s honoured to be selected for the role of captain, Guhle understands there is a responsibility that comes with the title.

“I think probably the biggest thing [I’ve learned from previous captains is just the accountability,” Guhle said.

“Part of our success over the past two years has been that, when we’re on the ice sometimes you have to hold players accountable. Even if it’s not really what you want to do, sometimes you’ve got to put your foot down and be that guy and hold guys accountable. That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve seen from pickle [Brayden Pachal] and hayeser [Zack Hayes], and I’ve taken note of that.”

Before joining his teammates in Regina ahead of the start of the WHL season, Guhle is hoping to get into the lineup for one or two more games with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League. The native of Sherwood Park, Alta. made his professional debut on Monday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Manitoba Moose.

“It was a good learning experience for sure that first game, hopefully I’ll get a couple more games before I head back. It’s been fun so far, I’m very fortunate to be here [in Montreal] and have a place to skate and work out during this time,” Guhle said.

Six alternates named

In addition to Guhle, the Raiders named Matthew Culling, Spencer Moe, Justin Nachbaur, Eric Pearce, Reece Vitelli, and Ozzy Wiesblatt as alternates who will rotate on a game-by-game basis through the shortened season.

Typically, the players would have more of a chance to be around each other and have their say on a leadership group ahead of the season, but Habscheid acknowledged this unprecedented season requires a unique approach.

“I just think it’s a different year. The group didn’t get a chance to vote, and to be quite honest there’s a lot of guys that deserve that opportunity. For them to split and do that every other game is good for them individually and for us as a team it helps them to spread the Raider way,” Habscheid said.

While Guhle, Moe, Nachbaur, Pearce, and Wiesblatt all bring a championship ring to the leadership mix, the coach noted Culling and Vitelli are cut from the same cloth. The two players joined the team in separate trades during the 2019-20 season.

“They hate losing. Losing is unacceptable no matter what, and I think they have that. For them to join into the culture that has been established in Prince Albert, the Raider way, I think it was an easy transition for them because they have a lot of personal attributes that mirrored the way we do things here,” Habscheid explained.

The Raiders will be part of the East Division’s 24-game season in a Hub Centre in Regina, with games beginning on March 12.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden