Howard, Savoie looking to make youthful impact on contending Oilers

EDMONTON — As a contending team that has dealt away draft picks for years, any young and possibly impactful players the Edmonton Oilers have are indeed precious.

Enter Ike Howard and Matt Savoie, a pair of 21-year-old wingers who have arrived at the same intersection at precisely the same time — yet took completely different routes to get here.

Today, the top two forward prospects in the Oilers organization are rooming together at rookie camp: Savoie, the St. Albert-born veteran of the Western Hockey League collected from Buffalo in the Ryan McLeod trade; Howard, the confident American who forced his way out of Tampa when his camp refused to start his professional career at AHL Syracuse.

Howard knows that’s not a great look, and did not hesitate when asked if he’d report to Bakersfield if his first run at an NHL job falls short over the next few weeks.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I mean … that’s not my call. It’s not my judgment. There are people that get paid a lot of money to make those calls. I’m just a player, so I’ve just got to show up, and do what I can. See where it goes.”

So, Howard has grown up through the fire of a salty breakup with Tampa, the team that drafted him 31st overall in 2022. Meanwhile, Savoie was blindsided by his first trade.

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A left winger, Howard spent last season trying to win an NCAA championship with Michigan State. Meanwhile, the right winger Savoie went to Bako and took a step that likely has placed him a notch up the depth chart from Howard, as the rookies take to the ice Friday against the Calgary Flames rookies at Rogers Place.

“Within the organization, I know everybody. I have a kind of a feel for everything,” Savoie said of the difference a year in Bakersfield — plus four games in The Show — has made. “Last year, coming into camp, I was pretty nervous getting my feet wet early. This year, I think it’s more belief that I can do something special this year and be a contributor.”

Howard will attempt to bridge the massive chasm that is the step up from the NCAA to the NHL. It’s been done many times, but on a percentage basis of those who have tried, starting your pro career at the highest level is rare indeed.

“I just want to make a seamless jump to the NHL. Right from the get go, just play my game and be effective offensively, in my own end. I just want to be impactful,” he said. “My game is winning hockey — that’s why I’m excited about this fit I think I’m ready to take this on, play both sides of the puck.”

There is a reason the American Hockey League exists, and Savoie is a product of that, says Bakersfield head coach Colin Chaulk.

“It’s a really big jump,” said Chaulk after the first rookies practice. “(Savoie played) 20-plus games with not a lot of offensive production, but what we saw was him blocking shots, playing with two hands and heavy on his stick, withstanding a heavier veteran of 400-500 games leaning on him. We saw him understanding when to take risks and when maybe just to live the fight another day. And that takes time.

“What we saw with Matt was becoming a young man.”

In the end, while Howard was racking up 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games in the Big Ten, Savoie put together a 19-goal, 54-point rookie season in 66 AHL games.

Howard had more points. Savoie did it against better competition. Against men.

It will be interesting to see who looks more like an NHL player when the main camp opens up next week.

“The reality is, there are some older players in our conference, based on the cities,” Chaulk said. “It is heavier and is meaner. It’s harder, and I believe that is exactly where you want your prospects to be, playing against that type of competition. There’s not a lot of space in the National League, and they need to feel that.”

Howard hopes he doesn’t have to.