Bouchard named to Canada’s WJC Selection Camp, McLeod and Rodrigue not.

The snow is piling up, it’s early December and that can mean only one thing — it’s World Juniors time again. By all accounts, the Oilers had an excellent draft this past June and on World Juniors selection day, it’s also worth noting that their first picks were all Canadian born players. Evan Bouchard (10th overall), Ryan McLeod (40th overall) and Olivier Rodrigue (62nd overall) are all prospects that had a chance of making the selection camp roster but it was only Evan Bouchard that had his name called.

To start his season, Evan Bouchard played seven games with the Edmonton Oilers, netting one goal a -5 rating before being sent back to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. In London, Bouchard has hit the ground running, posting 15 points in his first 11 games. He will look to do the Oilers proud by making the Canadian roster, the first defenceman to do so since Darnell Nurse in 2015.

Ryan McLeod has had a pretty solid season with the Mississauga Steelheads, scoring 26 points (7G, 19A) in 24 games played. Over in the QMJHL, Olivier Rodrigue has been nothing short of stellar for the Drummondville Voltigeurs, boasting a 16-4 record with a .905 SV% in the high scoring league. While it’s a shame that neither of those two guys got the invite to the selection camp, perhaps they can use it for inspiration to keep improving through the season and prove the selection committee wrong.