You never forget your first.

As the Ottawa Senators take on the Leafs in Toronto on Saturday night, Sens prospect Xavier Bourgault finally gets a chance to play in his first NHL game.

Bourgault has waited four and a half years for this moment, which is a long time for a first-round NHL draft pick. The L'Islet, Quebec-born 23-year-old is one of only five first-round picks from 2021 (Tyler Boucher, Chaz Lucius, Corson Ceulemans, Chase Stillman) who haven't played in at least one NHL game.

So Saturday night will remove him from that list and become the memory of a lifetime, especially when you consider how he got here.

Performance-wise, he got here with 27 points in 32 games this season, already surpassing his total (26 points in 61 games) from all of last season in Belleville, impressing the organization enough to earn a call-up with the club on Saturday morning.

But how he literally got here, travel-wise, will be part of the memory as well.

"So I went back home (for Christmas) actually in Quebec City," Bourgault told Sens host Jackson Starr after Saturday's game-day skate. "Then I drove to Toronto because of the game last night in Toronto. I drove eight hours, I think. So, it was pretty crazy. I drove back after the game, in the storm, back to Belleville. Then I got the call (from Ottawa) and drove right back to Toronto for (Saturday's) game.

“Just grateful for the chance tonight. It wasn’t easy since going pro, so just exciting for me now. It’s been a long road for me.”

Former Belleville head coach David Bell was one man who saw this coming back at training camp. He knew that Bourgault had more to offer than we saw last season.

"I think part of it last year, which is what he struggled with, was that he was hurt," Bell said after Sens rookie camp. "He had a hip flexor that was sore. He had a wrist that was sore.

"He's very dynamic and can shift east-west when he's healthy, and he wasn't able to do that last year. And as a shooter and passer with a sore wrist, he couldn’t do that. He was handcuffed quite a bit. Now he’s healthy, and you’re seeing a little bit more of what he was in junior — a dynamic, game-breaking type of player."

Bourgault will be paired on a line on Saturday with veteran Nick Cousins and centre Stephen Halliday. He and Halliday have played a lot together in Belleville the past two seasons. So after some holiday time, Bourgault is glad to follow it up with some Halliday time.

"We've been playing together in Belleville. Halliday is a great playmaker. I'm used to his game too, so it's fun to come back on his line here in Ottawa."

With injuries up front this season, the Senators have taken serious looks at other Belleville players like Olle Lycksell, Hayden Hodgson, and Arthur Kaliyev. Now the Sens have decided to kick the tires on Bourgault to see what he looks like at the next level. 

Sens GM Steve Staios obviously liked what he saw from Bourgault during his brief time in Edmonton. When Staios came to Ottawa and moved on from winger Roby Jarventie, he dealt him to the Oilers for Bourgault and fellow forward Jake Chiasson.

After that mediocre 2024-25 season, Staios still opted to re-sign Bourgault, a player that his Hamilton Bulldogs came up against in the 2022 Memorial Cup. Bourgault had seven points in four games at that tournament.

Given the long road to get here, literally and figuratively, there's zero chance Xavier Bourgault ever forgets his first, especially when it's a Saturday night Battle of Ontario on a national TV stage in Toronto.

Read more Ottawa Senators news and features at The Hockey News:

Top Ottawa Senators Prospect Suits Up Again At World Juniors
Josh Norris: 'I Really Felt Like (Ottawa Fans) Had My Back, Even When I Was Injured'
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Steve Warne is the Ottawa Senators site editor at The Hockey News. Steve has covered the Senators since day one, first as Sports Director for Rogers Radio in Ottawa on AM 1310 and FM 105, then as the long-time host of the morning show at TSN 1200 radio, the Sens' flagship station. Steve is also the owner and host of the popular Sens Nation Podcast.

Follow Steve on Twitter/X @stevewarnemedia