The Edmonton Oilers made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday morning placing two players on waivers and loaning another to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
Heading down on the loan is forward Xavier Bourgault, who scored twice in the Oilers’ 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken Monday night, while forwards Seth Griffith and James Hamblin were placed on waivers.
Bourgault’s offensive outburst on Monday was overshadowed by the fact he played just 7:07 of 5×5 ice-time, the lowest of any Oilers player. It’s no surprise that he’s heading down to Bakersfield, as he’s at least another year away from seeing NHL minutes. The 2021 first-round pick by the Oilers made his pro debut last season with the Condors scoring 13 goals and 34 points in 62 games. He’ll be expected to build upon those numbers this season as the 20-year-old continues to grow as a player.
Griffith, 30, will head to Bakersfield for his fourth season with the team. He’s been a great contributor for the club over his three-year tenure scoring 47 goals and 168 points over 175 games played.
Hamblin, meanwhile, heads to sunny California for his fourth season, too. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent is coming off a 10-goal, 28-point campaign last year drawing in 52 AHL games. He also had an NHL stint of 10 games early last season, but didn’t register a point. Over his 154 games at the AHL level, he’s scored 38 goals and 78 points.
Both Bourgault and Hamblin drew in on Bruce Curlock’s top Oilers prospects countdown this past offseason. Bourgault was named the Oilers’ second-best prospect, while Hamblin was listed as the sixth.
The Edmonton Oilers have two more pre-season tune-ups: one on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, and their final on Friday against the Seattle Kraken.
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