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The Oilers stayed on the straight and narrow in Round One, drafting right-shot centre Xavier Bourgault from the Quebec League, then spent much of Day 2 straying far from the board. In fairness, “the board” itself was not the fount of conventional wisdom it usually is, given the limitations of a season that saw many development leagues greatly curtailed if not shuttered altogether. It was an extremely challenging set of circumstances for hockey scouts industry-wide.
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World Junior Championship: The 2021 NHL Draft-eligibles to watch
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Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images
During the 2020 World Junior Champinship, we saw breakthrough performances from several highly touted draft-eligible players, which ultimately cemented them as top prospects.
Out of the players who were selected among the top 12 selections, eight had participated in last winter’s tournament as under-aged players. Of those eight, everyone but top choice Alexis Lafrenière return this year for a second outing.
While the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was seen as a tremendous group of players, perhaps the best since the legendary draft class of 2003, the 2021 generation is considered to be weaker when it comes to top-end talent. This is something that is apparent on the 10 rosters arriving in Edmonton.