And so the tryouts continue, if you could even call it that.
The Edmonton Oilers have a promising, albeit small, group of prospects to keep an eye on as they carry out the remainder of their training camp (only three preseason games left—yikes).
And unsurprisingly, you shouldn’t be surprised.
The first, and most notable prospect, is Matt Savoie, hailing from a season with the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League (AHL) and now going through his second training camp with the Oilers. Following closely behind are the two NCAA alumni, Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson.
The trio have worked their way through preseason, turning heads at different opportunities, and providing the type of youth that even the Oilers have recognized they need.
“The juice that they bring to the rink, the smiles, the emotion, the enthusiasm, it’s infectious,” said Nurse of the young players following morning skate. “So to have some young blood in your lineup, and then your room, it spreads throughout.”
Of course, when Nurse said this, he was primarily referring to the two—three, if we’re being generous—players that are top contenders for available roster spots in the regular season. But Josh Samanski (DEL) spent the Oilers’ win over the Winnipeg Jets opening up the door for a potential career in the NHL a few years from now. At least according to Kris Knoblauch.
“There’s a guy that got off to a really slow start in the rookie camp,” began Knoblauch. “And you’re anticipating him showing a little bit more because he’s older than most of the guys. But since he’s been with the main camp, right from day one, and obviously the games he’s played, he’s shown very well (as a) smart hockey player.
“He’s skating much better now than he was when he first got here. Whether he was just getting used to it, coming from Europe. But he’s looking like a player that has promise to be in the NHL at some point. Smart hockey player and great personality.
“Yes, most likely, he’s not on our team this year, but certainly down the road, I can see him being part of it.”
The window for young players with less NHL certainty to gain attention from the big clubs is closing, but most importantly, the tracker on upcoming rookies is on.
Savoie, who’s had a roster spot all but secured for about half a season now, played 45 games with the Condors (13-24-37) last year, while Howard and Hutson (save for two games in the NHL) have played their highest level of hockey in the NCAA.
So, if this were treated as an AHL-regulated game—as most NHL preseason games should be—how would they rank?
Savoie~top-line winger.
Remember, this is the AHL, not the NHL.
The right-shot winger stands out for his speed up the ice and remarkable vision. He often disrupts plays by defenders and uses it to create goal-scoring opportunities, as he tried to do during Friday night’s 4-0 win.
“I think both of them are kind of pesky forwards,” said Knoblauch of Savoie and Andrew Mangiapane post-game. “(They’re) disrupting plays and making it very difficult for the opposition to make some plays just because of their quickness and good sticks.
“And then when they do get the puck on their sticks, they can dish or shoot or whatever it is. So I just like their speed and their tenacity out there. Whether they’re playing together or (with) somebody else, but I definitely like those elements of their game.”
Howard~top six forward.
He’s unlikely to play with Savoie this season, but wouldn’t that be something?
The two stay energized all game, find the right balance between speed and slight aggression, and overall complement each other quite well.
Alas, just as he has for much of training camp, Howard must continue to learn from the veteran players around him. But he is a quick learner, and all the qualities of his game that got him here—deceptiveness, speed, stick handling—haven’t diminished, but have instead translated onto an NHL ice surface.
Hutson~third line winger, and some time to develop.
The last of three Oilers prospects on everybody’s ‘must watch’ list, and the one you’ll see in Bakersfield come the regular season.
Hutson isn’t as flashy as Howard or as quick as Savoie, but he has room for growth and a strong defensive mindset that can go undervalued when placed next to offensively dominant players.
He makes mistakes, but he corrects them, and a few years from now, like Samanski, he could grow into a fine NHL player.
