Derek Ryan is no longer part of the Edmonton Oilers. After four seasons with the team and a decade in the NHL, the veteran centre recently announced his retirement from professional hockey. Edmonton, however, may have its spiritual successor to Ryan, and his name is Noah Philp.
The centre from Canmore has been very impressive thus far during the 2025 preseason, leading the Oilers in points (three) and plus/minus (plus-3), while winning 53.6 percent of his faceoffs over two games. He was named First Star of the Game in Edmonton’s 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (Sept. 23), when he recorded two primary assists (including setting up Ty Emberson for the game-winning goal), four hits, one blocked shot, and went 8-7 in the faceoff circle.
Noah Philp, Edmonton Oilers (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)
If he keeps up this level of play, Philp has an excellent chance at starting the season with a spot in Edmonton’s bottom six, where Ryan was once such a steady contributor.
That, however, is only one of the commonalities between Philp and Ryan, who possess many similar traits, and whose respective hockey journeys have similar beginnings.
Ryan Leads the Golden Bears
Ryan’s story is quite well-known in Edmonton. After going undrafted while playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with his hometown Spokane Chiefs, he came to the University of Alberta following the conclusion of his junior career in 2007.
Ryan had a tremendous U Sports career with the University of Alberta men’s hockey team, helping the Golden Bears capture the Canada West championship in all four of his seasons. As a senior in 2010-11, he was named Canada West MVP after leading the conference with 47 points in 28 games.
Philp Stars at University of Alberta
Much like Ryan, Philp went undrafted despite having a pretty good WHL career, playing two seasons each with the Kootenay Ice and Seattle Thunderbirds. And like Ryan, Philp chose to come to the University of Alberta after his junior eligibility expired in 2019.
Philp was part of the Alberta men’s hockey team for three years, though he only played two seasons of U Sports hockey because 2020-21 was cancelled due to the pandemic. He still made his mark, earning Canada West All-Rookie team honours in 2019-20, and, just like Ryan, concluded his Canada West career with a conference championship in 2021-22.
Philp Takes Faster Path to NHL
It’s after their time at the University of Alberta that the former Golden Bears centre’s paths diverge. Ryan headed overseas, where he spent the next four years playing professionally in Europe. The Spokane native won MVP of what is now known as the ICE Hockey League (Austria) in 2013-14, then received the same award in the Swedish Hockey League for 2014-15, before finally returning to North America when he signed a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Following an impressive few months with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL), Ryan was called up to the Hurricanes late in the 2015-16 season and made his NHL debut at age 29.
Related: 6 Facts About Oilers Forward Noah Philp’s Amazing Journey to the NHL
Only a couple days after helping Alberta reach the 2022 national championship final, Philp signed a two-way contract with the Oilers and spent all of 2022-23 in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors. He took a season away from hockey in 2023-24, before signing another one-year, two-way deal with the Oilers on July 1, 2024.
Philp was called up to the Oilers early in 2024-25 and played his first NHL game at age 26. But while Philp was three years younger when he made his NHL debut than Ryan was when he finally reached the NHL, both have membership in the “Late Bloomers” club.
Ryan Spends a Decade in NHL
Once he got to the show, Ryan was pretty much there to stay. After a brief AHL stint in the 2016-17 season, he would go more than eight straight years uninterrupted in the NHL.
Derek Ryan, Edmonton Oilers (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
Ryan played with Carolina through 2017-18. He then spent three seasons with the Calgary Flames before finally joining the Oilers as a free agent in 2021. When he retired, Ryan had impressively appeared in 606 games in the NHL regular season and another 60 contests in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Philp Takes the Torch From Ryan
Ryan and Philp were ships passing in the night during 2024-25 with the Oilers. They actually were both in the lineup at the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 4, becoming the first pair of Alberta alumni to play on the same team in an NHL regular season game since 1984. It was almost like a passing of the torch.
On Jan. 14, Philp was recalled from Bakersfield. Five days later, Ryan was waived and assigned to the AHL for the first time since 2016. The moves were not necessarily mutually exclusive: At age 38, Ryan had finally started to slow down, and the Oilers were looking for improved play in the bottom-six centre role that he had filled so admirably for three-plus years; Philp was auditioning to take that spot.
While Philp wound up appearing in 15 games with the Oilers during the 2024-25 regular season, he didn’t show enough to crack Edmonton’s postseason lineup. But he now appears to have taken another step and is ready to become a full-time NHLer. Just like Ryan.
Philp will look to continue making an impression as the preseason wears on. The Oilers are back in action Friday (Sept. 26) when they host the Jets at Rogers Place.
