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There are snubs, and then there’s The Athletic’s snub of Matt Savoie

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

By Michael Menzies

Aug 20, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 20, 2026, 13:27 EDT

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If I could name this portion of the season, it would be “List Season.” The top this and thats are the main diet of hockey discussion online in late August. If forced, I may do my own list of the top lists.

In saying that, here’s another list to quibble about, an extension of The Athletic’s 23-and-under team pipeline rankings.

The Edmonton Oilers finished 31st in the league in that one, and the surprise there was that Isaac Howard was fourth in his own’s organization’s ranks, below Matt Savoie, recent second-round pick Rudolfs Berzkalns, and sneaky Team USA riser Asher Barnett.

The caveat being the list wasn’t just prospects necessarily, but just 23-and-younger players. Cue Macklin Celebrini at No. 1.

So whatever, there’s a different opinion. Oiler fans are the most likely to overrate Isaac Howard. There’s no point getting bent out of shape about it. The list is meant to generate buzz, etc.

But Corey Pronman, senior prospects analyst, then did a league-wide 23-and-under players list on Wednesday. A player must be 22 years old or younger as of Sept. 15, 2026 to qualify, and he assigns grades to each of the player’s “toolkits.”

To my genuine surprise, there wasn’t an Oiler on it. Not in the Top 50, the Top 100, or the Top 156 NHLers and prospects he ranks across the 32 teams. That means Matt Savoie is not among the top 156 players below the age of 23.

Doesn’t that seem bizarre? Just flat out wrong?

Look, I understand that by and large our website has been pro-Savoie, and sees the bright spots of his game over his size deficiencies.

This summer there’s been a run of arguments about whether Savoie should be re-signed early in the Mavrik Bourque to Connor McMichael range of $5.5-$6.75 million. The thinking being he’ll spend most of the season attached to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl’s wing and you try to lock up future seasons with an ever-increasing salary cap.

I know some people were leery with that idea. He’s small. He didn’t contribute in the playoffs. What’s the rush?

I can understand the pushback there. But left off a list that includes Reid Schaefer at No. 83, Theo Stockselius at No. 99, or Vadim Moroz at No. 156? That is pushing the limits. That’s just bizarre.

They ranked who(?!) above Savoie

Again, no one overrates prospects more than the fan bases of organizations that select them, and Savoie should probably be downgraded a bit by age.

Looking at the counting stats compared to his peers, Savoie is 13th among players in the 2022 NHL Draft in terms of points, a class dominated by Juraj Slafkovsky, Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier, and Lane Hutson, to name a few.

But many of Pronman’s selections are all theory, what-ifs, and not taking into account the real-world results so far.

Fifteen players from that draft are on the list, ahead of Savoie, and have scored fewer NHL points:

Conor Geekie (63)
Jiri Kulich (64),
Lian Bichsel (77)
Rutger McGroarty (80)
Jani Nyman (82)
Reid Schaefer (83)
Noah Ostlund (91)
Filip Bystedt (103)
Ryan Greene (104)
Tristan Luneau (112)
Sam Rinzel (118)
Maveric Lamoureux (122)
Sandis Vilmanis (133)
Danila Yurov (151)
Ivan Miroshnichenko (155)

Obviously, there’s more to the game than points, but that’s the exact appeal of Savoie, who has shown in his young career as a penalty-killer. Savoie is unlikely to become a true top-end point machine — it’s the all-around package that will make him valuable.

It makes the snub even more baffling. The kicker is, a year ago Savoie did creep onto the list at No. 148. Isaac Howard, too, at No. 163. The list was bigger last year.

I don’t envy Pronman. There’ll always be under-ranked or over-ranked players on it. But man, some of these choices are just flat out strange.

It isn’t just an Oilers thing

If there’s any solace, several fan bases can complain.

Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson actually fell from 93 to 124 despite having his best NHL season to date and being a greasy, helpful forward for the Sabres in the playoffs. Teammate Jiri Kulich rose nearly 30 spots despite nearly missing the entire season due to a blood clot.

Pavel Mintyukov, who just signed a five-year extension worth $36 million, is ranked 154th.

Gavin McKenna just went first overall in this year’s draft. He is ranked fourth amongst 2026 draft picks, behind Chase Reid, Albert Smits, and Keaton Verhoeff.

Albeit interesting to see such a wicked slant, it’s just another list. Now to work on my list of lists…

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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