FUTURE WATCH: Bourgault bidding to improve away from the puck

EDMONTON, AB - The trials and tribulations, but also the successes, of a first-year player trying to carve out a name for himself in the professional ranks are what Edmonton Oilers prospect Xavier Bourgault experienced over his first full season with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.

Ultimately, it's only going to benefit the former first-round pick in the seasons to come.

The L'Islet, Que. product entered his first full professional season in Bakersfield ready to make an impression, having already established his first-round pedigree from being selected 22nd overall by the Oilers at the 2021 NHL Draft.

Bourgault averaged 1.74 points per game during the regular season in his final year of junior with the Shawinigan Cataractes, who earned a QMJHL title and a berth in the Memorial Cup thanks in large part to his exploits with 104 points (51 goals) across all 73 games of the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup in 2021-22.

The 20-year-old's introduction to the pro level this past campaign had its highs and lows, ending with 13 goals and 34 points in 62 AHL games, but shouldn't be summarized as anything else but a success when it comes to a young player taking tangible strides toward adjusting to a new level of hockey.

"Obviously, so much different than junior," Bourgault said. "I think right now, I'm just learning everything about being a pro hockey player on the ice and off the ice. I just want to learn from those guys in the room every game.

"It's a learning process for me, so just take my game to the next level."

The 2022-23 campaign for Bourgault included a lot of elements common amongst the players thrown into an elevated environment for the first time in terms of the skill, size and speed of the professional game, but the offensive ability he was drafted for was never cast in doubt.

Bourgault started his season off strong, registering three goals and three assists in his first seven games with Bakersfield, including shorthanded goals in back-to-back games against Tucson and Ontario late in October that played into his expanded role on the penalty kill for the Condors over the course of the 2022-23 AHL season that could prove beneficial for him at the NHL level.

The 20-year-old exemplified some of the elite stickhandling and vision that's highly valued by the Oilers on the organizational depth chart in a right-wing position that's lacking in prospect strength, showcasing his ability to make plays in tight spaces and connect with his Condors teammates with his exceptional playmaking.

Bourgault then experienced a hot-and-cold stretch over the next three-and-a-half months of the season where the challenge of carrying consistency through each contest grew more difficult due to an increase in the skill level of his opponents -- most notably in the more physical and fast areas of the game when the puck isn't on his stick.

"Every guy is stronger and faster. They're all much older than me," he said. "I think the pace of the game is faster. You need to take your decisions quicker, but I think I'm getting used to now playing with more confidence.

"For sure some games are going to be harder. I'm still learning, I'm still young, so I'm just trying to figure out how to play with those guys."

But despite that stretch, Bourgault put extra work into improving those areas and was happy with the progress he saw by the end of the 2022-23 AHL campaign, which ended for him with two goals and 10 assists in the final 14 games of the regular season before Bakersfield was ousted in a best-of-three by the Abbotsford Canucks in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

"Last year, I was one of the top guys in junior scoring a lot of goals. I think I was stronger and faster than those guys in junior," he described. "This year, sometimes I had opportunities and found guys were stronger around the net, so that's the thing I want to improve.

"I think I've improved already going to the paint. I think if you want to score goals in AHL, those types of goals, you need to go in those areas."

For Bourgault and the Oilers organization, seeing more progress in his play without the puck will be a strong determining factor to the 20-year-old's NHL readiness along with his elevated offensive ability.

"I think I know and they know that I have good skills offensively," he said. "I think I'm working more on the defensive side of the game now, being consistent without the puck. I think they want that at the next level."