Xavier Bourgault

Drafted 22nd overall in 2021, Xavier Bourgault climbed the junior ranks after joining the Shawinigan Cataractes. Originally selected as a centre in Shawinigan’s QMJHL draft, the club moved him to the wing to skate alongside Mavrik Bourque. His scoring advanced each year: 7 goals and 20 points in 2018–19, then 33 goals and 71 points in 2019–20, and 20 goals and 40 points in a pandemic-shortened 2020–21 campaign.

Those junior seasons built a profile of a skilled, disciplined attacker. Bourgault was a finalist for the QMJHL’s Frank J. Selke Trophy after posting just six penalty minutes in a season, and he enjoyed a peak year in 2021–22 with 36 goals and 75 points in 43 games. In the playoffs he added 12 goals and 22 points as Shawinigan captured the Gilles-Courteau Trophy; the club then took part in the 2022 Memorial Cup, finishing third after a semi-final loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs.

After Edmonton selected him in the first round, Bourgault signed a three-year entry-level deal on 31 March 2022 and was assigned to the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL. He recorded 13 goals and 34 points in his rookie pro season, then saw his numbers dip to 8 goals and 20 points in 55 games the following year. On 15 July 2024 he was traded to the Ottawa Senators and sent to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

In Belleville he regained traction—12 goals and 26 points in 61 games in his first season with the club, and later a 25-goal, 57-point campaign in 70 appearances. Ottawa recalled him on 27 December and Bourgault made his NHL debut in a 7–5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs; he appeared twice with Ottawa without recording a point before returning to the AHL. Internationally, Bourgault was named to Canada’s roster for the 2022 World Junior Championship, played in the opener against Czechia and was struck in the head before the tournament was cancelled. On the ice he is known for his ability to play centre or right wing, his offensive instincts and a temperate style that keeps him low in the penalty column.