Oilers pick centre Bourgault 22nd overall in NHL entry draft
The Edmonton Oilers swapped their first-round pick before selecting forward Xavier Bourgault 22nd overall in the NHL entry draft Friday.
The Canadian Press
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EDMONTON The Edmonton Oilers swapped their first-round pick before selecting forward Xavier Bourgault 22nd overall in the NHL entry draft Friday.
The six-foot, 172-pound centre had 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season.
Bourgault was the No. 13-ranked North American skater heading into the draft.
The Oilers originally had the No. 20 pick in the first round but dealt it to the Minnesota Wild for the 22nd and the 90th.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Photo Courtesy of Keith Hershmiller/WHL Prince Albert Raiders blueliner Nolan Allan and Winnipeg Ice forward Rhys Raeside battle for the puck at the Brandt Centre in Regina earlier this season.
For the second year in a row, the Prince Albert Raiders have had a player selected in the opening round of the NHL Draft.
With the final pick of Friday’s first round, the Chicago Blackhawks used the 32nd selection to take blueliner Nolan Allan.
The 18-year-old from Davidson had been projected by many to be picked between the late second round and early fourth round of Saturday’s portion of the draft.
Edmonton Oilers select Xavier Bourgault 22nd overall in NHL entry draft
Oilers fans take part in a car parade in support of the Edmonton Oilers before they take on the Winnipeg Jets in game one of the first round of the playoffs, in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson July 23, 2021 - 11:29 PM
EDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers newest prospect was nearly at a loss for words Friday night.
The club took Xavier Bourgault with the 22nd overall pick in the NHL entry draft and the French-Canadian felt he d found his perfect home.
âI canât describe the feeling right now, he said. Iâm so happy to be drafted by the Oilers.â
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It was the ice hockey equivalent of a virtual debutante party.
The next generation of NHL stars took initial strides onto a global stage Friday night when the league held the first round of its annual selection process from myriad North American sites.
The draft was broadcast live on ESPN2 in Bristol, Connecticut, while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman appeared from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Bettman pivoted to various team executives and personnel at their respective facilities for the actual picks, which were followed by the requisite reaction shots with the players and their families.
It was the second straight remote draft session for the NHL, though Bettman said the league will return to an in-person draft next year at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
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Bourgault becomes the third small-ish sniper chosen at #22 by the Oilers in recent years, following Jordan Eberle in 2008 and Kailer Yamamoto in 2017. Both successfully made the jump to the NHL in relatively short order.
Anything but a reach pick, Bourgault was ranked within a few spots of the slot he was chosen almost across the board.
A range of observations and opinions follows from various amateur scouts:
In ranking Bourgault #21 (exactly where he was taken given Arizona’s forfeited pick at #11),
The Athletic gave his customary thorough review:
Due to his October 2002 birthday, Bourgault has the rare advantage of having just completed his third QMJHL season. In the last two of those seasons, he’s had an impressive run, with a combined 53 goals and 115 points in 97 regular-season and playoff games. He was Shawinigan’s second-most productive player in both of those seasons behind Stars first-round pick Mavrik Bourque. Bourgault’s game doesn’t leap o