When the Oilers signed Noah Philp on July 1, 2024, it barely created a ripple in the ocean of Edmonton’s off-season moves.

Coming off a one-year retirement to focus on personal well-being, it couldn’t have been expected that Philp would make an impact on the Oilers this season. So to some, it was surprising that when Connor McDavid went down with an injury in Columbus, the first call-up for the Oilers was Noah Philp.

The question really is why was it such a surprise? No question, if someone jumps from July 1, 2024, straight to October 29, 2024, it would be a surprise. But for those who watched every bit of training camp, every exhibition game, and the six games Philp played in Bakersfield, surprise would not be the word used. The word would be “expected.”

Noah Philp has done absolutely everything he needed to do to earn the call-up. The next question is what to expect if, and when, Philp gets into the line-up. For that, let’s take a look at the video of Philp this season and see what we can learn.

If there is one thing the Oilers can be certain of is that Noah Philp will bring a strong defensive effort. It is the part of his game the coaching staff can be most confident in when he plays. He is a great face-off man, at over 60 percent this season in Bakersfield, who can get the puck out of his zone and help his team on the attack.

Here is another clip that illustrates his defensive presence. He understands where to be and when to exert pressure. His size and length help him in creating loose pucks. When he gets attacked, he has strength to withstand big hits and still move the puck up the ice.

Philp will almost always be the first forward back when the opposition counters. He is very disciplined at staying over top of the puck in the offensive zone. When it gets past him, he is very good at pressuring back up ice and finding a check to take.

He also has excellent capability in the neutral zone to create transition opportunities. Again, he has an innate understanding of the defensive game and it helps him anticipate plays. He can then use his length to create turnovers. Watch this play in the neutral zone where Philp reads the attacker looking for a mid-lane pass and steps in and intercepts the pass.

Far more than any other skill, it is Philp’s skating that has developed the most. Indeed, it is assuredly the reason he has moved up the ranks of the prospect list and became the first call-up. This is an example of Philp’s skating from early in his professional career. Not awful, but fairly clunky. The crossover work is fairly cumbersome and it takes him a while to come up to speed. In addition, he really lacks a lateral mobility element to his stride.

Now have a look at this play from earlier this season. There is so much to dissect here. First, watch the little space making play at the start where he transitions from forward to backward skating and then across. This is very new for Philp. Then watch after he gives up the puck. Look at the compact crossover technique to get him up to full speed. The third sequence is when Philp uses his speed to get a step on the first defender and then uses his length to get by him. The final part is another new element to his skating. The quick twitch inside and stop up to make a pass into space.

There was very little of this type of skating in Philp’s game previously. Whatever other hockey training Philp undertook in the last year, there is no question he worked very hard on his skating. In terms of translation to the NHL, Philp’s skating is slightly below NHL average, but is close enough that he can use his size and reach to make up for any issues he may have in creating or collapsing space.

I don’t think Philp will be counted on to score very much in the NHL. However, one way Philp can ensure his stay in the NHL is long-term would be to score some. I happen to think he can score, as he has a very, very good shot that’s heavy and accurate. Here is a great look at his shot from earlier this season.

Here is the release from a standing position. Again, that is a lot of torque for someone who doesn’t use his upper body to assist the shot very much. The puck comes off the stick very quickly and very accurately.

He also has a bit of an idea of what to do as well from a scoring perspective. Watch his patience here on this goal and the little motion he makes to get the goalie moving before he tucks it home. That is really good scoring sense.

Whenever Philp gets his shot, I expect he will be in a fourth-line role and I would imagine it will be as a centre. He is a very strong right-shot face-off man and I expect that he gets used in that role in the NHL. He certainly can penalty kill as well, but whether he gets that chance will be interesting. The penalty kill is struggling at the moment, so I cannot see the downside to giving him a try. He brings tangibles that many of the other Oiler penalty-killers do not.

In the end, Philp has two or three weeks to make his case to the Oilers. I am certain Philp will do what he has done since he turned professional, which forces coaches to give him more and more responsibility because of his quality play. That process will hopefully start in Nashville tonight.