Those yearning for the return of the Edmonton Oilers were treated to a couple of high-scoring thrillers this past weekend that surely satisfied their appetite for hockey. The red light flashed eleven and nine times respectively in the two rookie games between the Oilers and their Alberta rival, the Calgary Flames.

The showcase featured higher-profile prospects than we’ve seen in the past couple of years for the Oilers, so fans were surely eager to know more. As someone who thoroughly enjoys watching players compete at this critical stage of their careers, I took quite a few notes. In this piece, I’m going to assign a grade to Edmonton’s most notable prospects based on their performance on the weekend.

For my money, Matthew Savoie closely rivals Dylan Holloway as the most exciting forward prospect the Oilers have had in their system in the past few years. I have no doubts that Kris Knoblauch will be a big fan of Savoie for various reasons. He plays the game with incredible pace, he’s agile, he forechecks well, and he has a good understanding of the defensive side of the game.

This weekend was Savoie at his best. He had four breakaways in the two games, all created differently. The first one came on a give-and-go with Ike Howard on a power play zone entry, where Flames goalie Owen Say kept his pad and paddle down to make the save.

Savoie created two breakaways thanks to excellent anticipation. His defensive stick allowed him to force turnovers, and he took advantage with his speed. That’s what led to his penalty shot goal, and another great look after he got out of the penalty box on Sunday.

On a well-executed defensive zone breakout by Howard, Viljami Marjala, and Savoie, he sprinted up ice, and an excellent pass from Marjala found Savoie past the Flames defenders for a five-hole goal.

It wasn’t just the breakaways; he was a lethal setup man. The most notable example was a perfect saucer feed to Hyde Davidson on an odd-man break, who couldn’t bury a terrific chance. Savoie could’ve racked up a lot of points if his teammates finished a little better.

Overall, Savoie did enough to prove that he is NHL-ready; he dominated and displayed his talent in the most critical aspects of the game. Skating, hockey IQ, penalty killing, passing, you name it. After this weekend, I’m confident we won’t see Savoie in Bakersfield again.

I’ve seen plenty of negative reactions out there to Ike Howard’s performance this weekend. I believe that your level of disappointment depends on your expectation level. While the 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner was fantastic in the NCAA last season, he has yet to play a single game of professional hockey.

The truth is, Howard has NHL talent, but he has deficiencies, too. His board play and defensive coverage still need work, and he needs to be careful not to be too aggressive offensively.

He showed flashes of his high-end skill on the weekend, but he didn’t establish his game in a meaningful way or assert any dominance. He seemed to be trying to do a little too much and often lacked execution.

On a more positive note, he made a few nice passes, two of which resulted in breakaways, as I referenced while talking about Savoie. He also had some great opportunities late in the second game.

Howard should be better when paired with an NHL centerman who can find him in shooting positions and help him create offence. There’s no reason to worry about his long-term projection as an NHL player after two somewhat underwhelming games, but he will want a better showing in the preseason if he hopes to make the Oilers out of camp.

The more I see Quinn Hutson play, the more I feel like he will play a decent amount of NHL games this season. He’s not a guy who will wow you with his speed, and he’s not very big, but he’s such a smart player that he makes it work.

Coaches often talk about playing fast; that doesn’t just involve skating. Making decisions and moving the puck up ice with quickness is another way of playing fast. Hutson can do those things.

I was already aware of his shooting prowess, which we saw in action on his goal late in the first game, but his passing also impressed me. He set up teammates for numerous high-danger chances, including a couple of beauties to Josh Samanski in the third period of the second game.

He might be an undrafted late bloomer, but Huston could compete with players like Howard for a roster spot to start the season.

It was a fun home-and-home series between the Oilers and Flames that gave us a ton to digest. If there’s anything I should leave you with, it’s not to overreact to two games in mid-September. There will be plenty of time for these players to get into a rhythm as training camp progresses. The rookie games aren’t the be-all end-all, but they allowed us to see these players in a competitive environment for the first time in a while.

Some of them raised their stock, like Marjala, Tommy Lafrenière, and David Lewandowski. Some, not so much. But there is still an entire preseason ahead, and roster spots are up for grabs on an Oilers team that said goodbye to several NHL veterans in the offseason. This two-game showcase was a snapshot of what these players are capable of, and we will find out plenty more in the next few weeks.