Raiders GM Curtis Hunt acquired six pieces for former captain Kaiden Guhle. (Brandon Taylor/CHL Images)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders GM Reacts

Raiders GM Hunt breaks down blockbuster Guhle trade

Dec 1, 2021 | 5:00 PM

For parts of five seasons, Kaiden Guhle embodied what it meant to be a Prince Albert Raider. Coming to the team with high expectations as a first overall bantam draft pick, he eventually became the team’s captain and their rock on the back end.

Today, however, that exceptional tenure in Prince Albert came to an end for Guhle. The Raiders traded him to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a haul that has many around the junior hockey world nodding approvingly at Raiders GM Curtis Hunt.

“He (Guhle) is as mature as they come,” said Hunt. “That’s maybe the big loss for our club, though we are getting two great kids back. The club has to be the first priority.”

The return on the trade was an impressive collection of two roster players and four picks, with two of those picks in the prospects draft being first-rounders (including the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft). The two players, Carson Latimer and Eric Johnston, have both been regulars with the Oil Kings this season.

“I’ve liked Carson since the bantam draft,” said Hunt. “As a young player he was a Delta player, we’ve obviously watched that program quite a bit over the last little while. He’s a tremendous skater, he’s a competitor. He’s a guy that trends to score. For him, he will get probably a better look up front in terms of more situations.”

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As for Johnston, a younger defenseman on a team that was stacked with veterans even before adding Guhle, he will also get a chance to play a little more with the Raiders. Johnston has posted four assists in 19 games this season and was a sixth round pick of the Oil Kings in 2019.

“Eric is a young D, and comes out of, I think, a really good program with the Pats Cs,” Hunt said. “We know those guys extremely well. We’ve had really good success with their graduates as we see them not only in our program but around the league as well. He’s a younger guy but he plays with some grit, he’s a competitor, and we think there’s some tremendous upside as he gets a little more acclimated to our system and our structure.”

Some might see the trade of Guhle as the start of a rebuild, or the discarding of this season for the sake of the future. Hunt doesn’t see it that way, however, reiterating his faith in the group that’s come together throughout the year and just recently swept their way through a two-game Manitoba road trip.

“I really believe the group we have right now and the additions we’re bringing in puts us in a good position to get into the postseason,” Hunt said. “Our club mandate has always been two things: one is to become a team, and the second part is to get ourselves into the postseason.”

Guhle’s departure also seems to leave a major hole on the blue line, but while it won’t be easy to fill the minutes he leaves behind, Hunt said he thinks the means to do so lies within the group they have. He singled out veterans Remy Aquilon, Landon Kosior, and Nolan Allan as being players who could take the next step and make use of additional ice time.

“By Kaiden leaving, it forces those on the inside to spread their wings and take on a little bit more,” said Hunt, “to find the edges of their own abilities and to push themselves and our team to another level.”

The return for Guhle has earned praise from various WHL pundits, but the destination also helps make this trade a win for all parties concerned. Guhle is a native of Sherwood Park, a community of 70,000 that sits less than half an hour from downtown Edmonton. The Oil Kings are also a contender, giving Guhle another shot at a championship.

“In the end, I can look after both the player and the club,” said Hunt. “In this particular case, we were able to do so. I think that’s a favourable outcome for everybody involved.”

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP