Sherwood Park can add another NHL player to their list.
Defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who was born and raised in the community, has cracked the opening roster for the Montreal Canadiens for the 2022/2023 NHL season.
He made his NHL debut during Montreal's home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday (Oct. 12).
Guhle played on Montreal's top defensive pairing alongside veteran David Savard. Despite it being his debut, Guhle led both teams in ice time with just over 22 minutes.
His defensive efforts proved to be critical in helping the Canadiens knock off the Leafs in a thrilling 4-3 victory.
Guhle is one of a number of young players trying to carve out a role on the Canadiens, including Fort Saskatchewan native Kirby Dach.
Head coach, Martin St. Louis was pleased with what he saw from his young players in game one.
"I know we're exposing [our young players] to a lot but that's the only way you learn," said St. Louis. "Was it perfect? No, but they made a lot of good things [happen] too."
The 20-year-old defender spent his junior days playing for the Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL before being drafted 16th overall by the Canadiens in the 2020 NHL draft.