Carter Savoie is doing his best to make 30 NHL teams look bad.
Despite a huge season in the AJHL, Savoie slipped all the way to the fourth round of the NHL draft back in October where the Oilers grabbed him at No. 100 overall. Since then, Savoie has been tearing up the NCAA as a freshman, making himself the very early favourite for the steal of the draft.
On Friday, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (the NCAA division where Savoie’s University of Denver plays) named Savoie the Rookie of the Month for December.
After leading NCHC rookies in scoring with 11 points (7-4-11) in the NCHC Pod, Carter Savoie is the NCHC Rookie of the Month for December 🙌 #PioneerTogether https://t.co/KGwMSV5yhM
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) January 1, 2021
Through 11 games this season, Savoie has seven goals and 12 points. His seven goals leads all NCAA hockey players, not just freshmen, and his 12 points is good for a tie for fifth in league scoring. Savoie also currently leads the University of Denver in both goals and points.
It’s also important to note that league statistics are a little bit skewed right now. A handful of top NCAA players have played fewer games than Savoie in order to participate in the World Junior Championships, which required two weeks of quarantine upon going through the Canadian border.
But, regardless, Savoie hitting the ground running in his rookie season at the NCAA is a very encouraging sign. If he keeps this up, a lot of teams are going to be kicking themselves for passing him up in the draft.
