The NHL season is around the corner and the excitement is in the air. The Edmonton Oilers go to the training camp with a few new players hoping to make an impact, but the ultimate goal remains the same: winning the Stanley Cup. Some players want to make the leap to the NHL, while others try to acclimatize their new environment in a new team. That offers intrigues for training camp, which has not been the case in Edmonton for some time. There are some grid spots for the taking, so who will seize the chance? Here are five players to watch during the preseason.
Noah Philp
Noah Philp is an interesting player On the way to the training camp. He did not play during the 2023-24 season before he returned to professional hockey in 2024-25. The right shot center played 55 games with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, with 19 goals and 35 points. He also played 15 games with the oilers, recorded two assists and took an average of 9:05 per game in his first Taste or NHL experience.
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Philp is a non -tailed player and at the age of 27 this is a big season for him to prove that he belongs to the NHL. He is probably in a battle for one of the last schedules, which competes against Curtis Lazar, David Tomaseek and Kasperi Kapanen. It looks unlikely that Zach Hyman is ready for the season opener, so another grid place is for the taking. If that is the case, Philp must benefit from that opportunity and have a great camp to earn his place. He could be the fourth line center that the organization sought.
Matt Savoie
Matt Savoie received a taste of NHL promotion last season, recorded one assist in four games and on average 12:31 per match on a line with Leon Draisaitl. The 21-year-old also had a great season in the AHL, with 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games. Now he wants to make the leap to the NHL full-time, probably in a top-six role.
With only 5-foot-9 and 179 pounds, he is an undersized attacker, but he doesn’t play out that way. He is a persistent forechecker and wins battles along the shelves, which applies the game of Draisaitl extremely well. They looked great in their limited time, so hopefully that chemistry will continue to develop and we see them playing together during the preseason. A Vasily Podkolzin, Draisaitl and Savoie Line would be exciting to look and could be a very effective second line.
Isaac Howard
Just like Savoie, Isaac Howard is another prospect that is looking for the leap to the NHL. The Oilers acquired Howard From the lightning of Tampa Bay in exchange for prospect Sam O’Reilly, and immediately kept him on his entry -level contract (ELC). Howard comes from a great season in the NCAA with Michigan State University and records 26 goals and 52 points in 37 games, on the way to winning the Hobey Baker Award as the best NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Player in the Nation.
This was a aging team that was dependent on veteran experience, but now there is a small youth movement in Edmonton while trying to become younger and at the same time set their sights when winning the Stanley Cup. It is expected that the resident of Wisconsin will see time on the top line with Connor McDavid, but for him to stay there, he must prove that he earns it. This is probably the first look of fans on Howard, and he comes in with a lot of hype, so as expected, many eyes will be on him and how he adapts to a professional level.
Andrew Mangiaipane
Andrew Mangiapane signed a two -year contract with the Oilers with a cap of $ 3.6 million, hit this low season, after spending last season with the Capitals in Washington. He comes from a Down season, takes 14 goals and 28 points in 81 games and wants to bounce back into a new team. He was the biggest signing of the oilers, and just like every new player he comes in with a lot of hype. Although he is not an elite player, he can play a Middle Seat role and play on the second or third rule.
The last two “big” free agent signing sessions in Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner did not succeed, so hopefully that is not the case with Mangiapane. It will be interesting to see who will be his line sizes later in the camp and if he can quickly develop chemistry with them. The oilers have been notoriously slow starters, and that must change this season. It is therefore absolutely necessary that the resident of Toronto fits and immediately feels comfortable with his environment, so when the season starts, everyone is ready to contribute.
David Tomas
For many fans of Oilers, the preseason will be their Tomas seems initially. He is a relatively unknown player and makes the leap to North America for the first time after he has spent his entire career in Europe. The Czech resident spent the last two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the highest level in the country. He played for Färjestad BK and last season recorded 24 goals and 57 points in 47 games, causing the team to led in points, 12 more than second place. He also had 25 goals and 45 points in 52 games the season before.
At the age of 29 he comes to his first NHL training camp and wants to make a seamless transition. However, his schedule is not guaranteed, and he is one of the few attackers who are exempt, which means that he can be sent without going through the exemption process. Philp and Lazar probably compete against Tomasek for a schedule, but those two players have the lead because they are eligible. The organization would run the risk of losing them for nothing if they did not make the team, and is that a risk that the oilers are willing to take? If Tomaseek hopes to make the team, he has to impress and force the organization to make that difficult decision.
The Oilers start the preseason with a Split-Squad match against the Calgary Flames on September 21. Keep following The hockey writers For all your NHL content while we start a different season.
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