London Knights Alumni Evan Bouchard is Tearing up the NHL Playoffs with Edmonton

London Knights alumni defenceman Evan Bouchard can't be stopped in the NHL Playoffs with the Edmonton Oilers

There's a former OHL Champion, Two-time OHL First Team All-Star, and 2019 OHL Defenceman of the Year, currently leading the NHL Playoffs in scoring by a defenceman. His name is Evan Bouchard, London Knights alumni and a star for the Edmonton Oilers.

Let's start from the beginning. Bouchard was a catalyst for the Oakville Rangers U16 AAA in 2014-15 and was drafted 17th overall in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection by London. The Knights had a stacked team for the 2015-16 season and their defence was led by Olli Juolevi and Victor Mete. It was hard for Bouchard as a rookie to get meaningful ice time as a 16-year-old, but he made the most of what he got putting up 19 points in 53 games en route to collecting an OHL Championship ring. 

The following year Bouchard took a big leap in his development and made himself a regular in their top four defence pairings which still included Juolevi and Mete. He put up 14 goals and 51 points in 82 games and NHL scouts' radars were starting to beep frequently in his direction for the 2018 NHL Draft. 

2017-18 was a pivotal season for Evan as he entered his NHL Draft year. On top of that, the Knights management realized their championship window was closed, and they started selling off key roster players that year like Robert Thomas, Cliff Pu, Sam Miletic, and Max Jones. 

What this meant was that Bouchard was left with less talent to play with and you could imagine how that could drastically impact his draft stock. He didn't let the selling of London's best forwards effect him while captaining the Knights. He would go on to lead the OHL in points by a defenceman and the Knights team with 87 points in the regular season. 

The Edmonton Oilers could not pass up on drafting the right-shot, offensive-gifted blueliner when it was their time to make their selection at No. 10 in the 2018 NHL Draft. 

Bouchard managed to crack Edmonton's opening night roster for the 2018-19 season and scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 25 against Washington before being sent back to junior. He went back to London and it was clear he was too good for Junior. Evan took home the OHL Defenceman of the Year that season and proceeded to light up the playoffs with 21 points in 11 games before being eliminated in the second round. That year he also represented Team Canada at the World Juniors and was an assistant captain for them.

Bouchard completed his junior career with 236 points in 262 games and a plus-102. It was time for the big leagues. 

After spending one season in the AHL with Edmonton's affiliate Bakersfield and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21. Where he played 23 games in the Swedish second-tier league and 14 games for the Oilers in the North Division, Bouchard immediately made an impact on the Oilers blueline in his "true" rookie season as a 22-year-old. He led Edmonton in scoring by a defenceman with 43 points while averaging 19:48 TOI. He also wasn't a staple on their PP1 just yet. 

Bouchard and the Oilers didn't see much progression in his second year. That wasn't until the playoffs however. Although they were bounced in the second round last year by the eventual Stanley Cup Winners Vegas, Bouchard led the entire NHL Playoffs in points by a defenceman with 17. 15 of those points came on the powerplay where the discovery of a PP1 catalyst was unlocked along with the emergence of an elite offensive defenceman in the league. 

There's no denying Bouchard's offensive talent and ability to produce on the man advantage. Many will discredit his skills since he gets to play with two elite players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But Bouchard has the intelligence along the blueline to read where those two will or want him to go. He helps open space and passing lanes due to him having an absolute cannon of a shot from the point. 

Teams have to worry about Draisaitl and McDavid of course. But if defenders want to give Bouchard the space to let off a one-timer or clapper, you'll probably be fishing the puck out from behind your goalie. 

Defensively he has his mishaps committing poor turnovers or losing his man in coverage. But as you do with many star players in this league. You take the good with the bad because the good that they provide usually outweighs the bad.

It has been a breakout season for Evan Bouchard this year. He finished with 18 goals, 82 points (fourth amongst defencemen), and was a plus-34 in the regular season. And has found a perfect defence partner in Mattias Ekholm. His performance in the playoffs has been the icing, sprinkles, and cherry on the cake as he leads all defencemen in points with 18. Night in and night out, he is aiding the Oilers drastically on their playoff run and making big-time offensive plays for the fans in Oil Country to praise.

The London Knights organization is known as one of the greatest junior hockey teams for developing players. Evan Bouchard is just another member of what is a very long list of London alumni who have gone on to have amazing success at the NHL level.