Oilers’ defenceman Bouchard hosts hockey camp for youth

Edmonton Oiler Evan Bouchard gave some young athletes some lessons in hockey skills on Sunday in Nisku.

Oilers’ defenceman Evan Bouchard was in Nisku Sunday hosting a hockey camp for kids ages eight to 14.

Bouchard said the camp was an opportunity for him to give back to a city that has given the team so much.

“You see so many fans in Edmonton, so many passionate fans, it’s good to get to meet some of them, interact with some of them and give back a little,” said Bouchard. “

Bouchard and FlexWork Sports coaches guided campers through skill development, skating, stick handling and shooting exercises.

FlexWork’s head coach Terry Dill said the biggest goal for the day was to have fun.

“I think it’s a great thing for youth sports in general, being able to see an athlete and see the way they carry themselves on and off the ice, I think is a great example for the kids,” said Dill. “It makes them super excited to just play the sport.”

This is the second hockey camp FlexWork has done. Their first camp was with New Jersey Devils’ forward Dawson Mercer.

“Having these guys come in and be able to talk to them and have the experience of being at the NHL level, I think it’s been great for the camp, great for myself and great for all the kids and communities that we’ve been in,” said Dill.

Theresa Ramsay had two children in Sunday’s camp at Nisku’s Silent Ice Centre.

“It’s just fun to let them come out and have these kinds of experiences, something they’ll always remember,” Ramsay told CTV News Edmonton. “They were super excited, happy to be able to come and see Bouchard do his thing.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti