Noah Philp, pictured left, hasn’t had much NHL time compared to some players, but Philp has been a solid addition to the Oilers roster this season after a decent preseason in which he showed skill, hustle and a willingness to go to the dirty parts of the ice to win pucks. Those were the same qualities that made Philp successful with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, where he often looked like he was one step ahead of his opponents. He went undrafted after a good junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds, but that lack of commitment to a team was the freedom that allowed him to sign with the Oilers when Philp felt his Canadian college hockey days had taken him as far as he could go at that level.
Obviously the Oilers have seen him plenty of times with Philp playing in their backyard, but Philp made hockey in Canada West look easy when he scored 20 goals and 38 points in 36 college games. Yes, the Golden Bears were loaded with talent, but Philp was one of the leaders of that team that was upset by the fifth-seeded UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West playoffs. Obviously no one would want the season to end like this, but COVID had other plans as the next season would be canceled across Canada.
After helping Alberta win the Canada West Conference, Philp and the Golden Bears would head to Nova Scotia where they would fall in double overtime to the UQTR Patriotes in the U Cup final as they fell just short again. Things didn’t stop there for Philp, however, as he was signed by Edmonton on April 22, 2022, joining the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL for their final three regular season games. He would also skate in three playoff games, having one helper.
After a full season with the Condors, where Philp scored 19 goals and 37 points in 70 AHL games, Philp left the competition on June 14, 2023. At the time, no one knew what his future would hold, but it seemed that the dream of becoming a professional hockey player was one he no longer wanted to pursue. Everyone has the right to pursue the dream he or she wants, but it was hard at his age to see Philp walk away when it seemed like he was on an upward trajectory.
Maybe it was the grind of hockey taking its toll. Maybe it was all the different ways life can throw at a person that made Philp question his hockey future. Whatever the case, it seems the 15 months without playing made the passion for the game burn brightly again when Philp returned to the Oilers. He looked like his old Golden Bears self when he jumped into the game and impressed, earning a promotion from Bakersfield to Edmonton in October 2024, where he got his first taste of NHL action and became the 14th Golden Bear to skate in the NHL!
Despite playing fifteen games with only two helpers, it appears Philp had figured out what he needed to do to become at least a bottom-six NHL player. He would use the lessons he learned to earn an NHL roster spot with the Oilers out of training camp this season, as the 27-year-old looked to take his game to another level. Tonight he added another honor to his list of achievements against Vancouver.
Philp scored his first NHL goal at 12:21 of the second period against Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead in what would become a 3-1 victory by the time the final horn sounded! Philp’s goal came in his 17th NHL game, and I suspect it won’t be the last if he continues to play as well as he did tonight!
For a man who almost left a hockey career behind him, it seemed only a matter of time before he would have an NHL score to his name after reigniting the passion that made him so good at the WHL and U SPORTS levels. As a U SPORTS fan, I want to congratulate Noah Philp on his first NHL goal because it didn’t look like it would happen when he stepped up. However, no one ever said you had to be a first-round draft selection to make it at the NHL level.
Noah Philp is proof of that, and his journey to his first NHL goal is a good lesson that there are many ways to achieve your dream if you are willing to work hard to let your talents shine. Congratulations, Noah!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
#long #time #coming