Edmonton Oilers select Xavier Bourgault 22nd overall in NHL entry draft
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.
“I can't describe the feeling right now,” he said. “I'm so happy to be drafted by the Oilers.”
Bourgault, a six-foot, 172-pound centre, said he had a good feeling about Edmonton after his pre-draft interview, and he believes it's a team that will help him grow into an NHL player.
“I think they help the young guys to get better. I think they develop their players very well,” he said. “There's a lot of great guys, you know those guys like McDavid and Draisaitl, and there's a lot of good veterans. And I think they will help the younger guys. And I think there's a great staff, too.”
Bourgault came into the draft as the No. 13-ranked North American skater after tallying 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season.
“He's a high-skilled offensive player,” said Tyler Wright, Edmonton's director of amateur scouting. “He can player centre, he can play the wing. He's got good size, he's got excellent vision, excellent skill. He's a student of the game.”
The Oilers originally had the No. 20 pick in Friday's first round but dealt it to the Minnesota Wild for the 22nd and the 90th.
The Wild used the 20th slot on Swedish goalie Jesper Wallstedt.
Edmonton will have some time to kill when the draft continues with the second round Saturday. The club's next pick is No. 90, coming in the third round, followed by Nos. 116, 180, 186 and 212.
The Oilers finished second in the North Division last season with a 35-19-2 record but were swept from the first round of the playoffs by the Winnipeg Jets.
Edmonton used the 14th overall pick on centre Dylan Holloway at the 2020 draft.
The 19-year-old Calgary native played at the University of Wisconsin last season, putting up 35 points (11 goals and 24 assists) in 23 games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.