Bourgault recharged for Oilers after long offseason

EDMONTON --Xavier Bourgault is looking to take advantage of a long offseason after an extended final season of junior hockey may have impacted his first professional season.

The Edmonton Oilers forward prospect had 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 62 games for Bakersfield of the American Hockey League last season, coming off a season where he led Shawinigan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Memorial Cup semifinal. The short offseason ahead of the 2022-23 season made for a sharp learning curve for the first-round pick (No. 22) in the 2021 NHL Draft.

"I think it was a long season, but going into that pro season was a lot harder," Bourgault said at Oilers development camp during the first week of July. "I learned a lot of things; there are so much more details you need to be aware of, and I think I progressed a lot in the season last year."

Bourgault, 20, had 75 points (36 goals, 39 assists) in 43 games in his final season with Shawinigan. He had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 16 playoff games to help Shawinigan win the QMJHL championship before losing to Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton in the Memorial Cup semifinal.

Because of scheduling delays forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Memorial Cup was held later in the year than before. Bourgault (6-foot, 172 pounds) did not play his final game until June 27, which did not leave much time to prepare for the upcoming season.

He said he did his best to get ready for his first season in the AHL but found it to be a big step up from junior.

"I think the battles, 1-on-1, the guys are a lot stronger," Bourgault said. "In junior I was able to cut to the middle (of the ice) and drive to the net easier than last season, so I just have to work on that stuff. I think I put on some weight as well, so that's good for that and I'll think that will help me take the next step."

Last season began for Bourgault at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton on Sept. 16, 2022.

It eventually took a toll on him.

"I thought Xavier was excellent in Penticton, and I thought in the first half of the season he made some great strides playing special teams, [penalty kill], power play," Bakersfield coach Colin Chaulk said. "The second half of the season, it felt like the wear of playing against men took its toll. Those were some good lessons for him. I think he had his ups and downs in that period, but I think everybody in their first year has ups and downs, no matter what it is you do."

Bakersfield was eliminated in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, giving Bourgault an extra two months to prepare for this season.

"It feels really good to have a long summer, a good summer of working out, where you can gain some weight," Bourgault said. "I wasn't on the ice too much in the first half of the summer, then when I return to Montreal, I'll start getting on the ice more. It was pretty nice to gain some strength and some weight, so I was pretty happy about the long summer."