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With Matthew Savoie’s recall and his Oilers debut looming, Edmonton’s top prospect has joined the team ahead of a five-game road trip. It comes as the team continues to see what they have in some of their younger players.
Ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Noah Philp got a nine-game run as the Oilers’ fourth-line centre, but Savoie appears to be getting a look further up the lineup, skating alongside Leon Drasiatl and Vasily Podkolzin on the second line, according to Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor.
Savoie has been off to a great run with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, scoring 13 goals and 37 points in 45 games — good enough for third in scoring among rookies. He’s received much praise from Oilersnation’s Bruce Curlock, highlighting how his 200-foot game has grown significantly.
A stretch with the big club, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, has been well deserved.
“If he was down there and was playing poorly and wasn’t one of the better players every single night, we wouldn’t be pulling him up here,” Knioblauch said. “The reports that we’ve had for quite a while is that he’s been playing well and getting better every time, and that’s in many areas of the game. We’re very looking forward to seeing him play.
“I think it was important that he did spend that time in Bakersfield, and as the season’s gone on, he’s progressed and played really well. And we want to look and see how he fits into our lineup, whether there’s a fit with somebody or maybe he’s just not quite ready or whatever it is, but I think he’s earned it. I think he’s been playing very well in Bakersfield and we’ll just see if he plays well, and then we’ll make a decision after that.”
The slow burn of his AHL time has been important, with Savoie saying he feels good about his game.
“Things have been going really well,” he said. “You know, a little bit of a slow start adjusting to pro hockey, but I’ve been playing really well the last couple weeks or even a month, so I’m feeling really confident and feeling really good about my game.
“I think just trying to make that big jump to the pro level and kind of kind of pick out the differences in junior and try and really work on those areas. But I think it’s been a pretty seamless transition and just looking to continue to get better every day.”
The Oilers’ schedule out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break kicks off with back-to-back matinee 11 AM starts on Saturday and Sunday, as they pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. After that, they’ll continue a five-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes before returning home in early March.
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.

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