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With Bouchard being farmed out, Ethan Bear just took a major step towards staying in Edmonton.

Particularly with Joel Persson leaving the game tonight with an upper body injury, it shows how serious Ken Holland is about having Bouchard start his pro career in the AHL. — Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) September 25, 2019

Here’s how Cult of Hockey writers assessed Bouchard heading into and through training camp:

Sean Patrick Ryan, overall assessment of Bouchard’s game in Oilers prospect rankings, Aug. 29: “The reality is Evan Bouchard is a terrific offensive talent. He is an excellent puck mover, great passer and has a bomb for a shot. He’s also a natural powerplay quarterback. He has great poise for a young player and has great leadership qualities. The Oilers drafted him to be a future top pair offensive defenceman. But the truth is, his ultimate ceiling will be determined by how well he rounds out his game defensively. At this point, he still has work to do in that area but there’s no reason to think he won’t get there eventually like so many other offensive defencemen in the game today. He’s a smart kid who knows what he needs to work on, and based on the progress he made in the OHL playoffs he’s doing everything he can to maximize his potential. While he might not be at the top of the pecking order right now for Oilers defenceman prospects in terms of NHL readiness, it’s only a matter of time before Bouchard becomes an NHL regular. Even if he doesn’t start the year with the big club, don’t be surprised if he finishes it in Edmonton. The future is bright for the now former London Knight, but how soon that future arrives is anyone’s guess.”

Bruce McCurdy, heading into Oilers rookie camp, Sept. 6: “Evan Bouchardis a feature player of this camp, having been ranked Edmonton’s #1 prospect in both years since being drafted #10 overall in 2018. Bouchard is viewed as a long-term fit for the Oil’s glaring need at both RD and powerplay quarterback. He’s among the few at this camp with a non-zero chance to break camp at the end of the month with the big club, though the expected path is to start the season under Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson in Bakersfield and see how quickly he adapts while older D prospects are given first and second dibs at the open spot(s) on the NHL roster.”