Corey Pronman has released his annual Top 23 Under 23 list, and once again the hockey world bows to the oracle of projectability. Reid Schaefer — a fine, towering specimen of the “large tree” archetype — lands at 83rd. Matt Savoie, the small wizard who actually scores goals, doesn’t appear at all. Not 83rd. Not 183rd. Not even in the polite “honourable mentions.”
This isn’t malice. It’s tradition. Pronman’s rankings follow the ancient scouting law: size is certainty, skill is risk, and small skill is witchcraft. If you can skate in a straight line at 6'4", you’re a future NHLer. If you can create offence at 5'9", you’re a pamphlet about “projectability concerns.”
Fortunately, the Oilers are in the business of scoring goals, not evaluating lumber.
The Calibration Year
Savoie’s rookie season wasn’t a failure — it was a calibration year. Limited minutes, sheltered deployments, and a mandate to learn Edmonton’s pace rather than drive it. This is how the Oilers prepare high‑skill forwards for a system built around McDavid’s warp‑speed geometry.
Savoie’s rookie season wasn’t a failure — it was a calibration year. Limited minutes, sheltered deployments, and a mandate to learn Edmonton’s pace rather than drive it. This is how the Oilers prepare high‑skill forwards for a system built around McDavid’s warp‑speed geometry.
Sophomore jumps for players like Savoie aren’t miracles. They’re patterns.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
Even in limited usage, Savoie produced the kind of underlying numbers that analytics departments quietly admire:
• strong zone entries
• high‑danger chance creation
• above‑average transition speed
• power‑play instincts that fit Edmonton’s DNA
These aren’t fringe‑player indicators. They’re early signs of a contributor waiting for runway.
Pronman’s list doesn’t measure runway. It measures height.
The Ecosystem Fit
Reid Schaefer is a good prospect. Big, physical, north‑south, and easy to describe without metaphors. He projects as a third‑line power forward with penalty‑kill utility.
But Edmonton doesn’t need another bottom‑six banger. They need:
• pace
• skill
• secondary scoring
• someone who can play with or behind McDavid and or Draisaitl
Savoie fits that ecosystem. Schaefer fits a different one. This isn’t criticism — it’s context.
The Ceiling Gap
The Ceiling Gap
Schaefer’s ceiling is respectable.
Savoie’s ceiling is higher.
Small, skilled forwards either become top‑six contributors or they don’t stick. Large, physical forwards become bottom‑six contributors or they don’t stick. The upside is not comparable.
Even if Pronman is right about “risk,” the reward is not symmetrical.
The Pattern
Sophomore seasons are where small, skilled forwards pop:
• Brayden Point
• Cole Caufield
• Kevin Fiala
• Jordan Eberle
All had modest rookie years. All exploded once usage matched talent. Savoie fits this lineage far more than he fits the “undersized tweener” narrative.
The Edmonton Development Arc
The Oilers have a long track record of turning high‑skill tweeners into legitimate contributors once they get real minutes:
• Hyman
• Kane
• Nugent‑Hopkins
• even Foegele
Edmonton doesn’t fear skill. It weaponizes it. Savoie is next in line.
The Sting
Pronman’s ranking is loyal to the ancient scouting law:
Thou shalt not rank the small wizard above the large tree.
Reid Schaefer, a fine tree, lands at 83 on the list. Matt Savoie, a wizard, is apparently invisible. But hockey is not a log rolling competition. It is a game played at speed, in transition, with creativity and decision‑making that outpaces the opposition.
Savoie does that. Schaefer may do it too — but Savoie already has.
Closing
So yes — we can make a spirited defense of Matt Savoie’s sophomore season. The evidence is there. The fit is there. The upside is there. The only thing missing is the ranking.
Fortunately, rankings don’t score goals. Players do. And the Oilers are banking on Savoie about to score more of them.
Written by CoPilot as directed by Mack McColl for NHLateHour
