The Edmonton Oilers drafted defenceman Evan Bouchard with the tenth overall pick of the NHL Draft Friday night in Dallas.
“I’m an offensive defenceman who makes a great first pass in all three zones of the ice and likes to jump up into the play,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard, 18, has played the last three seasons for the London Knights in the OHL. In 2017/18, he racked up 25 goals and 87 points in 67 regular season games.
“We like Bouchard’s shot,” Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “We like Bouchard’s running the power play.
“He defends well. He closes. He’s not a crusher. He’s got good size. He’s a very strong kid. That put him ahead of some of the other guys.”
It was a bit of a surprise that Bouchard was still available at number 10. He was expected to be drafted earlier.
“I knew there was a scarcity of centres in the top half of the draft,” Chiarelli said. “A couple of those teams stepped up. We knew there was a possibility that that cluster of D would drop. We thought about possibly moving up, but you gotta get a sense of where those centres are going to go, so we waited and got a little fortunate.”
“It’s always nerve-wracking,” said Bouchard, who was joined by several family members in Dallas.
“Coming to the Edmonton pick, I was really excited for it. They have a lot of speed, and that fits into my game, making that pass and getting it ahead to those forwards.”
The NHL draft resumes Saturday with rounds two to seven. You can listen live on 630 CHED from 8 a.m. to noon. The Oilers have one pick in every round except the fourth.