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Wayne Gretzky Brings Up Oilers’ Draft Mistake While Praising Stars Forward

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:50 AM ET

The Dallas Stars drafted forward Wyatt Johnston with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Three years later, he's helped lead the Stars into the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive season.

The Stars will face the Edmonton Oilers for the second season in a row starting Tuesday, and in a fun turn of events, the Oilers are the very team that had the previous pick in the 2021 draft and opted for Xavier Bourgault instead of Johnston.

Johnston, now 22, recorded a career-high 71 points in 82 games this season and leads his draft class with 177 career points.

Bourgault, meanwhile, has yet to make his professional NHL debut and doesn't belong to the Oilers franchise anymore following a trade to the Ottawa Senators in July 2024.

Johnston recently reached an impressive feat, scoring in three consecutive Game 7 appearances and delivering two game-winners, including one to eliminate Colorado in Round 1 this year.

That production hasn’t gone unnoticed. First, the Stars signed Johnston to a five-year, $42 million contract extension last March.

More recently, even NHL's greatest player ever, Wayne Gretzky, reflected on the Oilers' decision to pass on Johnston in 2021. His comments were directed at his brother Keith Gretzky, the Oilers assistant general manager at the time of that draft.

"You're such a good player," Gretzky told Johnston. "I always tell my brother he didn’t draft you, they picked another guy before you, and I always give him (expletive)."

As Johnston now prepares to face the team that passed him over, Gretzky’s words serve as both a compliment and a pointed reminder of what could have been for Edmonton. Game 1 between the Stars and Oilers is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET in Dallas.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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