Matt Savoie is headed back to Bakersfield.

The Edmonton Oilers announced on Wednesday that they’ve loaned the 21-year-old forward to the Condors, the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate.

The Oilers called up Savoie during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and he practiced alongside Leon Draisaitl during the break. Savoie picked up an assist on a goal from Draisaitl in his first NHL game, a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

After the Oilers dropped games to the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, Savoie was made a healthy scratch when the team faced the Florida Panthers looking to snap a four-game losing streak. They lost to the Panthers and Savoie was again out of the lineup when the Oilers finally snapped the skid with a win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Savoie returned to Edmonton’s lineup when the team returned home on Tuesday to host the Anaheim Ducks. He played alongside Draisaitl and the duo both posted minus-four ratings in what wound up being an ugly 6-2 loss.

All told, Savoie picked up one point over four games and the Oilers got outscored 6-to-2 with him on the ice at even strength. He showed a lot of speed and skill and didn’t look out of place as an NHL player, but the organization has decided Savoie needs some more time at the minor-league level.

With the trade deadline coming up on Friday, moving Savoie to the AHL could also be a roster move made with additions in mind. The Oilers acquired Trent Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. The former won’t play for a few weeks because of injury while the latter has been playing with Boston’s AHL team.

Savoie was acquired by the Oilers back in July from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod and prospect Tyler Tullio. Selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Savoie came into the 2024-25 season ranked as undoubtedly the Oilers’ top prospect. The Edmonton native has 13 goals and 37 points along with a plus-16 rating in 45 games for the Condors this season.