Top prospect Matthew Savoie to make Oilers debut on road trip
A new face is set to join the Edmonton Oilers. Top prospect Matthew Savoie participated in practice on Tuesday and will play during the team’s upcoming five-game road trip, head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
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A new face is set to join the Edmonton Oilers.
Top prospect Matthew Savoie participated in practice on Tuesday and will play during the team’s upcoming five-game road trip, head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Savoie, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres over the summer for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio, has spent the entire season to date in the AHL, netting 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 45 games for the Bakersfield Condors.
“If he was down there and was playing poorly and wasn’t one of the better players every single night, we wouldn’t be pulling him up here,” Knoblauch said.
“The reports that we’ve had for quite a while is that he’s been playing well and getting better every time, and that’s in many areas of the game. We’re very looking forward to seeing him play.”
Savoie, 21, made his NHL debut for the Sabres last season but appeared in just one contest.
Knoblauch said he did not know exactly which game the forward would get into. Beginning with a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back, the team visits Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina.
Savoie said he is looking forward to his first game as an Oiler — whenever it may be.
“For me, it’s really exciting just to see where I could potentially play and where I could be, and it just brings more excitement to my eyes and makes me want to continue pushing myself as hard as I can to get to that next level and be a contributor here,” he said.
Edmonton is tied with Minnesota for the lead in the Pacific Division with 72 points in 55 games.
Savoie was picked ninth overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL Draft.
