Evan Bouchard (born October 20, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bouchard was selected 10th overall by the Oilers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Evan Bouchard
Bouchard with the Bakersfield Condors in 2020
Born (1999-10-20) October 20, 1999 (age 24)
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team Edmonton Oilers
NHL Draft 10th overall, 2018
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2018–present

Playing career edit

Junior edit

Bouchard was drafted in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection by the London Knights.[1] He helped London capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup and 2016 Memorial Cup in his first year with the organization. Bouchard was named captain of the Knights for the 2017–18 OHL season.[2] At the conclusion of the year, Bouchard was named a finalist for the Max Kaminsky Trophy as defenceman of the year and the Red Tilson Trophy as most valuable player of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[3]

Professional edit

 
Bouchard with the London Knights in 2016

Bouchard was selected in the first round, 10th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.[4] A few weeks later on July 17, 2018, the Oilers signed Bouchard to a three-year, entry-level contract.[5] On October 25, Bouchard became the youngest Oilers defenceman in history to record a goal when he scored in a 4–1 win over the Washington Capitals. He had turned 19 five days before the game.[6] After seven games with the Oilers, he was returned to the Knights on November 2.[7] Despite only skating in 45 games for the Knights during the 2018–19 season, Bouchard recorded 16 goals and 53 points. He added another 21 points in 11 games during the OHL postseason. On April 25, 2019, Bouchard was named the winner of the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league's top defenceman.[8]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic's affect on the American Hockey League (AHL), he spent part of the 2020–21 season with the Södertälje SK of Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan.[9] He then joined the Oilers for the shortened regular season, though it was noted that he had some difficulty getting ice time despite solid play.[10]

In the 2021–22 season, Bouchard solidified his place in the roster, managing 12 goals and 31 assists in 81 regular season games, pairing alongside former Blackhawk defenceman Duncan Keith, while also leading the team's second power play unit.[11] 35 of his points came at even strength play, ranked 14th among NHL defencemen.[12] The Oilers qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, making a deep run to the Western Conference final before losing to the Colorado Avalanche.[13]

International play edit

On December 3, 2018, Bouchard was loaned to Canada junior team to compete for a roster spot on their 2019 World Junior Championships team.[14] On December 25, Bouchard was named an alternate captain for Canada, along with Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Ian Mitchell, for the 2019 World Junior Championships.[15]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Oakville Blades OJHL 1 0 1 1 0
2015–16 London Knights OHL 43 2 15 17 24 10 0 2 2 2
2016–17 London Knights OHL 68 11 33 44 24 14 3 4 7 6
2017–18 London Knights OHL 67 25 62 87 54 4 1 4 5 6
2018–19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 7 1 0 1 2
2018–19 London Knights OHL 45 16 37 53 40 11 4 17 21 6
2018–19 Bakersfield Condors AHL 8 3 5 8 6
2019–20 Bakersfield Condors AHL 54 7 29 36 42
2020–21 Södertälje SK Allsv 23 6 11 17 76
2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 14 2 3 5 2
2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 12 31 43 28 16 3 6 9 4
2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 8 32 40 28 12 4 13 17 4
2023–24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 18 64 82 32
NHL totals 265 41 130 171 92 28 7 19 26 8

International edit

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Canada White U17   6 1 5 6 4
2016 Canada IH18 5th 4 0 0 0 0
2019 Canada WJC 6th 5 0 3 3 0
Junior totals 15 1 8 9 4

Awards and honors edit

Awards Year Ref
OHL
Max Kaminsky Trophy 2018–19 [8]
AHL
All-Star Game 2020 [16]

References edit

  1. ^ "Evaluating Evan Bouchard (His 2018 NHL Draft Value)". The Hockey Writers. March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Knights name Evan Bouchard captain". ontariohockeyleague.com. January 12, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  3. ^ "OHL Announces 2017-18 Awards Finalists". ontariohockeyleague.com. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Matheson, Jim. "Edmonton Oilers take Evan Bouchard in first round of NHL Draft". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  5. ^ "Oilers sign 2018 first-round draft pick Evan Bouchard". sportsnet.ca. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Evan Bouchard makes Oilers history in win over Capitals". sportsnet.ca. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  7. ^ "Oilers send defenceman Evan Bouchard to OHL Knights". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Knights' Evan Bouchard Named OHL Defenceman of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Matheson, Jim (May 2, 2022). "Edmonton Oilers' Evan Bouchard back from Sweden and knocking on NHL door". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Pankiw, Colton (March 13, 2021). "The Edmonton Oilers Need to Find Playing Time for Evan Bouchard". Puck Prose. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  11. ^ Truswell, Tanner (May 10, 2022). "Evan Bouchard: The Next Klefbom". Oil on Whyte. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Allan (May 2, 2022). "Oilers regular season report card for 2021-22". The Athletic. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Spector, Mark (June 7, 2022). "Despite disappointing exit, Oilers learn valuable lessons from Avalanche". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  14. ^ "BOUCHARD, FORMENTON, FOUDY NAMED TO TEAM CANADA SELECTION CAMP". londonknights.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  15. ^ "Ducks prospect Comtois named captain for Canada at World Juniors". NHL.com. December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "Bracco, Liljegren added to All-Star roster". American Hockey League. January 26, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
2018
Succeeded by