The Edmonton Oilers have loaned forward Noah Philp to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

The move comes days ahead of the NHL’s break for the 4-Nations Face-Off and will allow for Philp to get some more games under his belt. The Condors have seven games between now and when the Oilers return to action on Feb. 22, and Philp will have the chance to draw in for all of them.

Philp, 26, is in his first season back after taking a year off. He’s drawn in for 28 games with the Condors this season, scoring nine goals and 17 points, and a dozen games with the Oilers, scoring two assists.

His underlying numbers at five-on-five have been strong with the Oilers. With him on the ice, the team has controlled 52.1 percent of the shot attempt share, 52.8 percent of the scoring chance share, 51.3 percent of the expected goal share and 55.6 percent of the goal share, outscoring the opposition 5-4.

While the same size is small, his on-ice contributions equate to that of a high-end fourth-liner, according to Hockey Viz. He’s driven offence at a seven percent rate below league average, and defence at a two percent rate above league average, while killing penalties at a one percent rate above league average.

The Oilers have one game left before the break, hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. Philp found himself on the outside looking in of their lineup Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks as Adam Henrique returned to the lineup after missing a game due to illness.

When Edmonton returns from the break, they kick off a five-game road trip that see them visit the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. Time will tell if Philp will return to the Oilers after the break, but the best thing for him now is getting playing time — wherever that may be.

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.