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How have Howard, Tomášek, and Savoie performed for the Oilers in the first month of 2025–26?
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Photo credit: © Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
Sean Panganiban
Nov 1, 2025, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Nov 1, 2025, 11:14 EDT
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Some rookies start the NHL campaign red hot, like Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov, who is atop the rookie points leaderboard, but more often than not, it takes rookies time to settle in and adjust to the speed of the game at the NHL level.
Having said that, the Edmonton Oilers have two rookies — a couple of 21-year-old youngsters, one with a slick nickname and a local product, who are starting to make their impact, and a 29-year-old from Europe who isn’t technically a rookie due to age, all of whom just played their first full NHL month. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how all three have fared in their first month of the 2025–26 campaign.

Isaac Howard

Isaac Howard may not be atop the rookie leaderboard when it comes to points, but he’s certainly near the top when it comes to nicknames. The “Ice Man” has tallied three points (2G, 1A) in 11 games in the first month and has looked more and more comfortable as the season progresses.
The 21-year-old started the season making rookie mistakes, the kind you might get away with at the NCAA level, such as trying to go one-on-three and deke through multiple defenders. At the NHL level, though, those plays rarely end well and aren’t exactly the kind that’ll get you into head coach Kris Knoblauch’s good books. As an offensive player, sometimes you have to weigh the safer option of getting the puck deep so you don’t turn it over and watch it end up in the back of your own net, and those situations are something Howard has gotten better at reading.
That said, he scored his first NHL goal against the Ottawa Senators, where he sniped one past Linus Ullmark, and by the eye-test, he’s been on an upward trend ever since.
After scoring his first tally, he appears to be a lot more at ease — almost as if he’s not gripping the stick so tightly and is making better plays. As well, it looks like he’s starting to understand that at the NHL level, you have to put the work in first, and the points will follow.
He scored his second goal of the season against the Utah Mammoth, but what I liked almost more than the tally was the hard work he put in leading up to it. The broadcast didn’t necessarily show it in the replay, but he first kept the play alive by jamming his body against the boards to prevent a clear, as shown in the example below:
Then he stayed dogged on the retrieval, causing a turnover with a nice stick lift, and then found open space and buried an Adam Henrique pass to complete the hardworking sequence.
All in all, Howard’s game is on the uptick, and his minutes should be too, as he’s averaging less than ten a night. However, if there were an area I’d like to see him clean up, it’s taking penalties, where his four infractions are tied for the team lead, but as “the Ice Man” is trending upwards, that’s something he’ll refine over time.

David Tomášek

The 29-year-old David Tomášek, or, as OilersNation After Dark host Aaron Bordato calls him, “Tommy Smokes,” has tallied three points (1G,2A) in 11 games so far in the first month of the season, scoring his first NHL goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 23.
The Oilers’ lineups have been mixed in a blender all season and have not been consistent, but out of the three Oilers rookies, Tomášek has been given the best offensive opportunity, consistently being used as the net-front presence on the power play with Zach Hyman out of the lineup.
According to Natural Stat Trick, he’s been on the ice on the man advantage for 28 high-danger chances, producing just two power-play assists as a result, including the helper on Leon Draisaitl’s 400th NHL goal; however, the chances have been plentiful.
The former Belleville Bull has had a ton of chances to bury while being on PP1, and I’d say more often than not on those attempts, it was the goaltenders robbing him in-tight rather than a lack of finishing ability on Tomášek’s part. Additionally, it seemed like the early PP attempts used him as a focal point, looking for the shot-pass re-direct in front. However, they’ve mixed up their plays as of late with more movement overall, which is proving successful, as they’ve scored on seven of their last 13 attempts, and the 29-year-old has played his part by being a distraction in front of the net, keeping plays alive, and by drawing defenders toward him as a shooting option.
A glance at the season’s first month shows that “Tommy Smokes” looks every bit like a guy who’s been around the pro game for a while. Despite having just three points in 11 games, he’s consistently in the right spots, has good puck touches, and leads the team at 5v5 in shots-for percentage (61.54% SF%), meaning he’s tilting the ice in the Oilers’ favour whenever he’s out there.
When Hyman returns to the lineup, Tomášek’s time on PP1 might come to a close, meaning he’ll have to find ways to turn that excellent SF% into actual points at 5v5 to keep contributing. That said, it’s comforting for the Oilers to know they have someone who can step up in that PP role if injuries occur or a shake-up is needed.

Matt Savoie

Matt Savoie scored his first-ever NHL goal against the New York Rangers, but leading up to that, he was the poster boy for doing everything right on the ice and not getting rewarded for his efforts on the scoresheet.
Within the first month of the season, he’s recorded two points in 12 games, and while that doesn’t necessarily scream lights-out production, he hasn’t looked out of place. His speed is apparent, the skill and smarts are there, and oh yeah, he’s responsible defensively too — his 14:55 minutes on the penalty kill rank fourth among Oilers forwards, and his eight blocked shots are third among forwards as well.
Additionally, Savoie’s lone helper on the season came by winning the faceoff that led to Jake Walman’s OT bomb against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 21. But if the NHL handed out third assists, Savoie would easily have a couple more assists.
He’s made several poised plays recently on Oilers game-winning goals that didn’t earn him an assist, but without his efforts, the plays wouldn’t have happened.
For instance, on Vasily Podkolzin’s goal against the Montreal Canadiens, Savoie held onto the puck, looked off Draisaitl, and passed it to the point, which eventually found its way to Podkolzin’s stick, who lifted a backhander for the game-winner, as shown below.
Moreover, against Utah, his play was also pivotal on the eventual game-winner. The 21-year-old picked up a rebound and made a heads-up play to get the puck back to the point. Brett Kulak fired the shot, Adam Henrique tipped it, and Ty Emberson buried the rebound for the go-ahead goal. Once again, Savoie didn’t get on the scoresheet, but the play started with him.
Like Howard, Savoie’s game is trending upward, and as mentioned, he capped off the first month of the season by scoring his first-ever NHL goal, a greasy one in front that bounced off of him. I’d imagine it’s not exactly how he imagined scoring his first NHL goal growing up playing street hockey in St. Albert, but the tally reflected the hard, gritty work he’s put in this season so far.
Additionally, scoring builds confidence, and in the last game against the Rangers, it’s worth noting that Savoie’s advanced metrics were some of the best of the season. At 5v5, he posted an 80% SF%, 61.87% expected goals (xGF%), and 80% high-danger chances for percentage (HDCF%). That said, hopefully the Athletics’ Daniel Nugent-Bowman’s recent post — noting that the youngster left practice favouring his left leg — isn’t anything too serious, because all signs seem to point to the floodgates opening for him soon.

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