The lone member of the Bakersfield Condors at the 2025 AHL All-Star game made some noise over the weekend, as Matthew Savoie was named the event’s fastest skater.
He ripped around the rink with a speed of 13.654 seconds, beating the second-placed Trey Fix-Wolansky of the Cleveland Monsters by .106 seconds, John Leonard of the Charlotte Checkers by .113 seconds, John MacDonald of the Colorado Eagles by .198 seconds, Isak Rosen of the Rochester Americans by .216 seconds, and blistered by the speed set by the Jani Nyman of the Coachella Valley Firebirds by .789 seconds.
The Fastest Man Alive – 13.654 seconds@TheAHL | #Condorstown pic.twitter.com/tagekb7qkj
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) February 3, 2025
Savoie took part in a few other events, going 3-for-8 in the accuracy shooting contest, and scoring in the Breakaway Relay contest.
It’s a feather in the cap for what’s been a strong season for the Condors, sitting third in the AHL’s rookie-scoring race with 12 goals and 31 points in 40 games. It was a slower start to him for the year, but heading into the All-Star Break, he went on a nice run scoring 19 points in 19 games, racking up all those points in 11 of those games with six multi-point efforts.
Savoie, who was ranked as Oilersnation’s top prospect heading into the season, has drawn rave reviews from Oilersnation prospect writer Bruce Curlock not just for his offensive game that has come around, but for strong defensive play, too.
What’s been modestly surprising, but wholly encouraging has been his defensive play. Savoie leads the team with a plus-10 rating and is second among all rookies as well. Savoie excels both in maintaining structure in all three zones and at winning puck battles to transition the puck.It’s this part of the game that makes him the most exciting prospect in the Oilers organization. He has high-end offensive skills, but also a defensive game that NHL coaches can rely upon. When Matthew Savoie plays NHL games is the question, not if.
His ability to show some speed is a bright spot, too, and good news for the Oilers moving forward, who in the years to come will need a player like him to step into the NHL. While it’s unlikely that minutes with the big club come this year, look out for him to be in big competition in training camp next year.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
