This is the fourth time this year that going into Saturday night’s games, I had another player pegged to open the weekly Oilers Prospect Report and then changed my focus by the end of the night.

Each time the player who caused the change was Matthew Savoie as he has consistently strung together excellent week after excellent week of development. If there has been a week where I was worried about his development this year, I cannot recall it. This week was no different as Savoie has two points in two games.

More importantly, it was his attention to detail that caught my eye: the detail he will need to excel at when he’s inevitably paired with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in the future. More on the little things about Savoie’s game, Sam O’Reilly chugging along and all the news and notes below in the Oilers Prospect Report.

Matthew Savoie did the goal-scoring thing Saturday night.

What was more impressive than the goal was the details that led to the goal. Here is a longer clip of what Savoie put into this play to earn the goal.

Let’s start with the faceoff. Savoie takes the occasional faceoff now when the play starts on the strong side. He wins this one cleanly. Then Savoie attacks the rim entry to ensure the Barracuda player does not get possession. The next detail is Savoie rotating hard into the F3 when he sees his forward partner drop down on the forecheck, maintaining a nice disciplined forechecking structure. Finally, when the puck is reversed and his defensive teammate pinches down, Savoie rotates up to cover for him, but also gives him a great passing option. The release is just pure talent.

This attention to detail is heady stuff for a 21-year-old rookie in the AHL. It led to a goal, but almost assuredly is the part of the game that will lead him to the NHL.

Here is another one of these Savoie plays. In this one, he doesn’t register a point, but I guarantee this play registered with his coaches. It starts with him winning the race to a loose puck to start the forecheck. Once he gathers himself, he sits down in a perfect F3 spot to contain the middle and wall outlet options. Once the Barracuda forward goes lot to help, Savoie immediately jumps down to shrink the area and create pressure. He can do this because his two defencemen will mark the Barracuda wingers. His pressure causes a turnover. Condors score off a great passing play coming out of the turnover.

This is brilliant stuff by Savoie where he doesn’t get a point, but he was instrumental in the goal.

The next clip is a testament to Savoie’s toughness and the coaching staff’s faith in the player. I posted this clip on X last night because I thought it was such a great example of player development. The first part of this clip shows Savoie take an awful hit from behind that leads to a penalty. Coach Chaulk could have pulled him for Noah Philp for the following face-off. He did not. Instead, he kept him on the ice and, more importantly, to take the faceoff. Watch what happens.

Kudos to Savoie for his toughness. Kudos to the Bakersfield coaching staff staying with Savoie on the 4v3. He rewarded their faith.

One final clip from Savoie. When it all starts to break down defensively, Matthew Savoie has no qualms about sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team. Watch this clip and watch it right to the end.

The taps Savoie got after that play from vets of the team tell the story better than I can. This type of effort goes along way with teammates and coaches.

I feel bad as Sam O’Reilly doesn’t get nearly enough love in this weekly column. O’Reilly is five points away from his season-high scoring total and is on a 1.04 points per game average which is well above his draft year of .82 points per game. He is also averaging 2.7 shots per game, about half a shot per game higher than last season. In addition, he’s playing on the first power play, the first penalty kill and he is taking every defensive zone draw of importance late in games. He’s currently running at 56 percent win percentage in the faceoff dot. He’s also plus 42 in 49 games tied for the team lead in the category.

This week O’Reilly showed off his passing skills, which are a part of his game that really has surprised me. In two games, he had four assists and some of the assists were very creative. In this first clip, I have slowed it down to see the pass he made. No question he was fortunate to some degree, but his quick scan to know he had slot help led to this decision.

This is my favourite play of the week. Watch O’Reilly win the wall battle and continue to move his feet up the wall. When he gets sealed, he doesn’t stop, he reverses course and takes the puck to the weak side. When he feels no pressure, he faces up to the net allowing a better passing situation and making a bullet pass across the seam.

The final one is more an example of O’Reilly’s pre-scan capability. He gets a great little pass from William Nicholl on a zone entry. O’Reilly has already scanned and knows he has a player on the backside available. He gathers the puck and creates the passing space necessary with his stick and then sends a great backhand pass over for the goal.

Without a doubt, O’Reilly’s passing skills are the most surprising element for me this season. It’s a part of his game that if it continues to develop will further reinforce his draft selection by the Oilers. For now, Sam O’Reilly is developing at a great pace both for himself and the Edmonton Oilers.

William Nicholl continued his good play this week. Another three points in two games this week to increase his average to .90 points per game. He’s still playing more wing, which isn’t his ideal spot in my mind, but it has worked. He is currently 49th in forward scoring in the OHL which is strong for a player who plays mostly third line minutes and doesn’t see a lot of specialty teams. When you remove the powerplay points, he jumps to 21st in scoring. 21st amongst all OHL forwards! William Nicholl is a steal and he might be the steal of the draft on a relative basis.

Joel Maatta has jumped to the team lead with the University of Vermont with 22 points in 28 games. This week he had four points in two games. This is a big season for the seventh-round pick from 2022 because he’s a senior. He has great size and plays a very smart game. Not sure the skating will get him there. Looks like Carl Berglund a lot for me, but it has been an encouraging season.

That’s it for this week folks. Stay warm out there and see you around the rink.