CHL to NHL: Guhle, Lauko, Wright and Xhekaj make NHL debuts
Four CHLers officially graduated to the NHL Wednesday night as Kaiden Guhle, Jakub Lauko, Shane Wright and Arber Xhekaj all made their NHL debuts.
Guhle and Xhekaj each suited up on Montreal’s blue line while Wright, the fourth overall pick in 2022, made his debut with Seattle.
Guhle, the 16th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, played a team-high 22:34, of which 3:43 came on the penalty kill, for the Habs in a 4-3 win over Toronto. He also tallied two hits.
The 20-year-old played 181 games in his WHL career with Prince Albert and Edmonton and tallied exactly 100 points (22 goals). He ends his junior career a two-time WHL champion (2019, 2022) and was the WHL’s Playoff MVP last season as he helped guide the Oil Kings to the Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth in the 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, where he recorded three assists in three games.
Xhekaj played 12:47 in his NHL debut and registered two shots, one block and four hits. Undrafted in both the OHL and NHL, Xhekaj appeared in 161 games across across three OHL seasons with Kitchener and Hamilton.
Last season, after a midseason trade to the Bulldogs, he helped guide them to their second J. Ross Robertson Cup after a standout playoffs where he tallied 16 points (six goals) in 18 games. At the Memorial Cup, he’d tally five assists in five games as Hamilton fell to Saint John in the final.
Un mercredi soir mémorable pour nos gars!
A memorable Wednesday for these Habs!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QFx3YOWjTd
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 13, 2022
Wright played just 6:14 for the Kraken in a 5-4 overtime loss to Anaheim in his NHL debut. The Burlington, Ont., native spent two seasons with Kingston where he scored 71 goals and 160 points in 121 games.
Over the course of his junior career, Wright was the CHL Rookie of the Year and OHL Rookie of the Year in 2020 and after a 94-point campaign last season was selected to the OHL Third All-Star Team.
🎶 All-Wright, already, the show goes on 🎶 pic.twitter.com/aH8HU3xp84
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 13, 2022
Lauko made his debut with Boston and played 11:36, including 2:10 shorthanded, and tallied three hits in a 5-2 win over Washington. The 77th overall pick by the Bruins in 2018, Lauko played one season in the QMJHL but it was impactful as he helped guide Rouyn-Noranda to a President’s Cup and a Memorial Cup title in 2018-19.
The Czech native had 21 goals in the regular season and then added 13 points in 16 playoff tilts. He led the Memorial Cup in scoring with eight points in five games.
Lauko's in the League.
Congratulations, @jakub_lauko! pic.twitter.com/TN8Qcytz71
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 12, 2022