The Edmonton Oilers will turn to Matt Savoie in 2025-26, searching for an injection of youth and energy into a lineup that has played 211 games over the past two seasons.

The 21-year-old forward was a key penalty killer for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors last season and will be leaned on to fill the same role in the NHL, following the departure of forward Connor Brown, who signed free-agent deal with the New Jersey Devils.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch and general manager Stan Bowman praised Savoie’s ability to kill penalties and are excited to see him excel in that role next season.

“With Savoie, the one thing that I’m very optimistic about is penalty kill and how good he was in Bakersfield in that role,” Knoblauch told NHL.com. “He didn’t have any penalty-kill time when he was with us [four-game call-up], but certainly, we saw him being a reliable two-way player at 5-on-5.

“The opportunity for Savoie is on the penalty kill, not that he can’t be on the power play, but I definitely see him being a big part of our penalty kill.”

“There is some growth from within,” Bowman said. “I think Matt Savoie is probably poised to take a big step next year.”

Savoie played four games with the Oilers last season, recording one assist. The ninth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft broke out in his first full AHL season, scoring 19 goals and 54 points in 66 games.

The St. Albert, Alta., native was acquired by the Oilers from the Buffalo Sabres in July 2024 in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio. The prospect of earning a full-time role for his hometown team has motivated Savoie to make the team and help push for a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

“Getting called up in February and getting to play at home in front of friends and family for the first time was really exciting,” Savoie said. “My first full pro season was a lot of fun. There were a lot of ups and downs in it, as expected, but I think I just got a lot more comfortable as the season went on, playing at the pro level, the physicality of it all, the grind of the schedule.

"It's motivating, it makes you want to make the team and be a contributor next year. I think for me, it just shows how close you are and how close you can be. It adds a lot of motivation for me and a lot of fuel to the fire.”

Savoie displayed plenty of offensive talent in the CHL, recording 103 goals and 263 points in 182 games between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Winnipeg Ice.

Now Savoie, along with recently acquired forward Isaac Howard, 21, are expected to provide an injection of youth into the Oilers’ veteran lineup, which is the fifth-oldest in the NHL.

Expectations will once again be high for the Oilers as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl look to lead the team over the hump and win a Stanley Cup after falling to the Florida Panthers in the final the past two seasons. Knoblauch says he will need to provide a delicate balance to his duo of highly touted prospects as they try to integrate on the fly into the NHL on a team expected to contend.

“As a coach, I think the most difficult part of our job is giving players opportunity to play, but also being able to hold them accountable to their play,” Knoblauch said. “It’s a very fine line. We’re expected to have two young players in our lineup, and for players like that to be in the lineup, they have to have a significant role, whether that’s on the power play or penalty kill.”

The Oilers will open the 2025-26 regular season on Oct. 8 against the Calgary Flames.