By Cult of Hockey contributor Ira CooperCult of Hockey prospect series 2025: #1, Matt Savoie21 years old, 5’9″, 180 lbs., Buffalo’s 9th overall pick, 2022 draft
For the second consecutive season, Matt Savoie tops the Cult of Hockey’s prospect rankings. It’s highly likely to be the last time – not because he will be over-taken by another prospect but because he will have graduated to full time NHL player.
Savoie entered the rankings at Number 1 last season as a 20-year old rookie pro, having graduated from the Western Hockey League as one of the most productive players in the league over the prior 3 seasons, accumulating 256 points in 150 regular season games (along with 65 points in 48 playoff games).
Savoie sits atop the rankings this season, coming off a massive development year (playing in the American Hockey League for the Bakersfield Condors) and penciled in to the starting lineup of the Edmonton Oilers with a real chance to win a top 6 winger job, on merit.
I’m here to tell you that you should throw away the pencil and write Savoie in to the Oilers starting lineup in ink – Matt Savoie is an NHL player, today.
While predominantly a center in junior (right shot center), Savoie was transition to full time winger for the Condors where he played first line right wing from the first game of the season to the last game (some center was sprinkled in when the Condors were down bodies and needed him to fill in).
Not surprisingly it took a bit of time for the 20 year old to settle in offensively, however, not that long as he finished the season with 19 goals and 54 points in 66 game (2nd in rookie scoring in the league). Importantly, I would suggest that Savoie was right up at or above a point per game pace for an extended period in the latter two thirds of the season (caveat: I have not gone back to log the games to do the exact math) – he was a very consistent producer once he settled in to the pro game.
Much of Savoie’s scoring was at even strength, the Condors had one of the worst powerplays in the league (and it’s the one area where I will continue to criticize Colin Caulk’s deployment and reliance on veterans) and, to put it lightly, Savoie did not have the benefit of high end skill to play with, in particular as the season went on. Savoie played quite a bit with James Hamblin late in the season, a good AHL producer but not a player one would think is highly skilled or with great offensive intelligence (traits in players that Savoie excels playing with – we will touch on that a bit later).
Savoie was also named to the AHL all-star game where he participated, and won, the fastest skater competition.
In addition to being a very high pedigree player, which one would expect from a 9th overall pick (in 2022 by the Buffalo Sabres), Matt Savoie started the season as a very responsible 2-way player including helping on the PK in a depth role right from the game 1. Savoie ended his rookie pro season a great 3-zone player that is always on the right side of the puck, able to take away time and space in all three zones, break up cycles and help transition the puck out of the defensive zone. Savoie also became a staple on the penalty kill using his noted speed (and quickness) to get in lanes and a great stick. Matt Savoie’s 2-way development was astonishing and something I haven’t seen from a high pedigree player in the organization for a long time (Ryan McLeod being the closest comparable that comes to mind).
A primary reason why I say Savoie is locked in to the NHL and won’t look back is that responsible and effective 2-way game, along with his penalty kill ability (all of which will need to continue to develop at the NHL level, of course), makes him a very versatile player that should give Coach Knoblauch many options. Knoblauch has praised Savoie’s AHL penalty work this off-season and advised that it is a role he sees Savoie on in the NHL.
I have opined for months, that Matt Savoie will be the perfect long term right winger for Leon Draisaitl. As far as his offensive abilities, lets be clear on one thing, Matt Savoie is a complimentary player, he is not a driver. He is not a player that carries the puck through the neutral zone very often and the puck is rarely on his stick for very long. What type of offensive player is he? He is an extremely skilled puck-handler and distributer and much of that is due to his very smart offensive instincts. He dishes the puck, quickly and accurately, to the correct spot very soon after receiving it, he is great in small spaces, he sees the ice very well, is great in the give and go game and, also, has the ability to find the soft spaces in the offensive zone and has a very quick release one-timer when he gets the change.
He is also 100% work ethic (in all three zones) and, while he is short, he is not “small”, and is able to get inside players and win board battles without taking too much contact.
Matt Savoie has the perfect skill-set to play with Leon Draisaitl.
Of course, Matt Savoie did get 4 games in the NHL last season and we got a glimpse of the type of game he plays and how it could mesh with Leon Draisaitl when, early in his first game as an Oiler, Savoie got in deep with his speed on the forecheck, won a board battle, collected the puck and dished to Leon in front for a goal – something we may see routinely over the next decade.
At the same time, as I noted with respect to his 2-way ability, Matt Savoie could also easily fill a 3RW role on a scoring 3rd line, or a straight 2-way 3rd line – I could see him having success with the likes of Nuge or Frederic as his center and a Podkolzin or Mangiapane on the other wing.
While I do think that Savoie should be given every opportunity with Draisaitl, I also have no issue with him settling in the 3rd line in his first NHL season – no doubt he will get his reps up the lineup, on merit.
I suspect we will see Savoie eased into a depth PK role and likely part of the 3-pairs come playoff time. We know that PP1 will be filled by the incumbent 5 (subject to injury) but I would expect Savoie on PP2.
He played both the right side half wall and the weak side (one-time option) in Bakersfield where he was blocked by the veteran Seth Griffith (who we should acknowledge was 2nd in AHL scoring and 1st in points – although not good on the PP)
Of course, to complete the story, we should mention that Savoie was acquired last off season by then interim general manger Jeff Jackson in exchange for Ryan McLeod. At the time of the trade, its was known that it was a trade for the future as a legit and established NHL 3C and PK1 player with elite speed and transition skills, in Ryan McLeod, was traded for a graduating junior highly unlikely to make a Stanley Cup contending team in his rookie pro season. McLeod was one-year away from RFA status with arbitration rights and the Oilers had re-signed Adam Henrique for 2 seasons, presumably to play the 3C position. The Oilers were looking from some cap flexibility going forward and to get a bit younger. He we are a year away and Ryan McLeod has a cap charge of $5MM (and I like Ryan McLeod and he is value for that new cap hit), however, the Oilers have a high ceiling 21-year prospect about to impact their lineup with 2-years left of his ELC.
I sound very high on Matt Savoie and its because I am. Many fans are very high on Ike Howard, acquired by the Oilers this off-season, and they should be. Let’s not forget, Matt Savoie was drafted 9th overall in 2022 and Ike Howard was drafted 31st overall in the same draft year. Of course, draft pedigree is not everything and it means less and less the further we get from a specific draft date.
However, Savoie was the higher rated prospect on draft day (materially), his offensive ceiling is just as high as Howard’s (perhaps higher) and, importantly, Savoie has a full 66 game season playing professional hockey against men on his resume, a season in which he met all reasonable expectations This is not to discount Howard in any respect, but to show that there is a reason to be excited about Matt Savoie in the Oilers lineup this season. He is arriving just on schedule.
The next chapter begins on Friday day as the Savoie leads the Oilers rookies in the first of a home and home versus the Flames rookies, at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
At the Cult of Hockey
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Cult of Hockey prospect series 2025
Forwards: Ike Howard (2nd), Maxim Berezkin (3rd), Josh Samanski (5th), Quinn Hutson (6th), William Nicholl (9th), Roby Jarventie (11th), Viljami Marjala (12th), Connor Clattenburg (13th), Tommy Lafreniere (14th). David Lewandowski (15th)
Dmen: Alec Regula (4th) Beau Akey (7th-tie) Atro Leppanen (10th) Paul Fischer (16th), Nikita Yevseyev (18th), Asher Barnett (19th)
Goalies: Samuel Jonsson (7th-tie), Nathaniel Day (17th), Eemil Vinni (20th)