Bouchard, Hyman named to Oilers leadership group

The Edmonton Oilers introduced their leadership group Thursday afternoon, with two new faces joining the group.

Evan Bouchard, for the first time in his NHL career, will don an ‘A’ as an alternate captain for the team this year, joining Zach Hyman as the team’s new alternate captain. The pair will join the rest of the leadership group: captain Connor McDavid, and other alternates Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The pair enter the year replacing Darnell Nurse in the leadership group, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks this summer.

It’s not the first time either Bouchard or Hyman has worn letters in their playing careers. Bouchard captained the OHL’s London Knights in 2017-18 and 2018-19, his final two seasons in the league, and also wore an ‘A’ for Canada at the 2019 World Juniors.

Hyman, meanwhile, wore an ‘A’ for the Toronto Maple Leafs in his final season with his hometown team in 2020-21. Earlier in his playing days, he was an alternate captain in his final season at the NCAA’s University of Michigan, and was captain of the OJHL’s Hamilton Red Wings in his final two seasons there.

Both have earned their keep to join the leadership group. Bouchard, now the fourth longest-serving member of the team, was drafted by the Oilers 10th overall in the 2018 draft, debuting with the team in 2018-19, but not becoming a full-time player until 2021-22. Over the last seven seasons, he’s emerged as a premier defenceman in the league, playing not just at even-strength, but on both special teams, too. He’s scored 76 goals and 333 points in 429 games, adding 21 goals and 88 points in 81 playoff games.

Hyman, who signed with the team as a free agent in 2021, instantly brought leadership qualities with him, and has become one of the best free agent signings — if not the best — in franchise history. He fit like a glove alongside McDavid early on, and has scored 175 goals and 310 points in 366 games in Edmonton, adding 37 goals and 62 points in 74 playoff games.

While McDavid will wear the ‘C’ every night this season for the 10th straight year, the other four players will rotate through the ‘A,’ as the league only permits two players to wear the alternate letter.