The Edmonton Oilers ended their pre-season slog with a 4-1 loss in Vancouver Friday night.

The line-up was a relative facsimile of what will likely start the season on Wednesday against Winnipeg. There are a few questions for the team as they break camp, however, the only question remaining for me is what prospects make this team. Last night, two of the three who I classify as prospects, Vasily Podkolzin and Noah Philp, played.

Raphael Lavoie remains on the sidelines with a foot injury that plagued him last week. For Podkolzin and Philp, I think it is a slam dunk. As I said early in the pre-season, the loss of Dylan Holloway in the forward group makes it relatively slow and old. Podkolzin and Philp remedy both of those issues. How did they perform in their final audition? Let’s run the tape.

I chuckled when some people referenced Derek Ryan as competing with Noah Philp during the pre-season. Not because I don’t like Derek Ryan as a player, but because Derek Ryan played very little centre in the pre-season. Certainly, the staff knows Ryan as a centre, so some of that was making sure others got a chance, but Philp, except for one game, played centre all pre-season. This coaching staff wanted to put Philp in a plethora of roles to see how he could handle the situation, and in almost all circumstances, he passed with flying colours.

Last night was more of the same. His defence and face-off was never a question, with his skating and offence always going to be the determining factor. The skating element has already been removed as an issue: Philp is a more explosive skater and is certainly NHL average. The offence remains a question, but he works incredibly hard, and I believe it will come. Watch this offensive zone shift by Philp last night.

For me, Noah Philp has made this team.

I said early in the pre-season the only thing that could hold him back was the fact he is waiver-exempt. He might get sent down if the Oilers wanted to protect some other players. It still might happen, but on merit, Philp is the best 4C on the team, and I think he will have bigger moments than that during this NHL season.

Podkolzin was probably already slotted on this team when training camp started. However, he wanted to make sure of that fact with his play. Podkolzin is a powerful skater who can play the body. He is also a solid defensive player who can chip in on the penalty kill. I know many people are hoping for a replication of his offence from his rookie season in Vancouver, but in watching him over the last couple of years in Abbotsford, I do not see it in his game. Now, it doesn’t mean he can’t be effective. Him and Philp actually could be a handful matched up against other bottom six lines.

Watch this beautiful set play off the breakout the two of them run.

I could be surprised and see Podkolzin chip in offensively. What I will not be surprised at is him making this team in a bottom-six role. I think Podkolzin, Philp and a whomever can push the river against bottom six competition. More importantly, I think when they get matched against top six lines, they will be able to hold their own. That is the key.

The tough breaks keep happening to this young man. He was having a very solid camp and certainly in the mix as a bottom six forward. Missing the last two games does not help his cause.

No question him not playing the penalty kill hurts him also, but I find a lot of fallacy in the argument. Lavoie does the one thing that the bottom six don’t do well: score. I think this group will be challenged all year to put the puck in the net. If Lavoie can play a solid ten minutes per night and get one chance, it could look a lot like this.

This is a 3-2 league, and the bottom of this roster could use a jolt of self-created scoring. That is Lavoie. His defensive game is good enough to make him a positive player. Whether the coaching staff agrees will be found out very soon.

That’s it for the Oilers prospects in pre-season. We will see how the roster shakes out over the next few days, but for me, it has been an encouraging camp for prospects. Some very good young players will see the ice at the start of the season, during the season and in seasons to come. That remains a critical goal for a tam that will always be cap heavy.

If you want to leave feedback, please do so below or send me a note on the X to @bcurlock. Have a great day and see you at the rink.