The Edmonton Oilers had a difficult decision to make on Evan Bouchard.
Ultimately, the team assigned the rookie defenseman to the OHL's London Knights, the team announced on Friday.
The 2018 first-round pick apppeared in seven games with the Oilers, approaching the limit of the Slide Rule, which allows teams to play rookies nine games without burning a year on the player's entry-level contract.
Bouchard, the highly-skilled 19-year-old, was scratched in each of the team's past two games after playing seven of the first eight. In the last game he played, Bouchard scored his first NHL goal, against the Washington Capitals.
Now, with a month of NHL experience under his belt, Bouchard returns to junior where he scored 87 points in 67 games with the Knights a year ago. Bouchard should also be a shoo-in for Team Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver. So, there is still plenty to look forward to for the tenth overall selection in the 2018 draft.
To take Bouchard's spot, Edmonton called up defenseman Kevin Gravel from its AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Gravel played two games this season after signing a two-way contract with the Oilers in the off-season.