Defenceman gets medical clearance after missing the last seven games this season with Habs because of a concussion.
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Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle got his wish and will play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship.
Team Canada released the names Friday afternoon of 22 players invited to the tournament, which is slated for May 10-26 in Czechi.. Guhle is the only Canadiens player on the team.
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Guhle missed the final seven games this season as a result of a concussion suffered when he was checked hard from behind into the boards by Nikita Kucherov during a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 4 at the Bell Centre.
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When Guhle met with the media last month after the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the third straight season, he spoke about hoping to play for Team Canada if he was given medical clearance.
“It’s always an honour to wear the Maple Leaf,” Guhle said. “I always kind of thought it was a cool, different scenario, the worlds. Just giving a chance for guys to play some meaningful games that didn’t really get the chance to. Always something I’ve looked forward to, wanted to do in my career. If I’m healthy and feeling good, that’s the plan.”
Road to the Cup
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Canada won the gold medal at last year’s world championship with Canadiens goalie Samuel Montembeault playing a key role, posting a 1.42 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in seven games. Montembeault was invited to return this year by Team Canada, but decided to take a pass.
Guhle won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. The following year, he was named captain of Team Canada for the world junior tournament, which ended up being cancelled because of COVID-19.
This season — his second in the NHL — the 22-year-old Guhle posted 6-16-22 totals in 70 games with the Canadiens.
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