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Breaking news from the ultimate Oilers’ insider, Bob Stauffer:
Philp announced his retirement from hockey in June of 2023 for personal reasons not related to the game. This after the former University of Alberta Golden Bear had enjoyed an excellent rookie pro season after being signed by the Oilers as a 23-year-old free agent the previous spring.
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As I wrote in the preliminary post to the Cult of Hockey‘s annual prospect rankings last summer:
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Edmonton also suffered the disappointing loss of Noah Philp to retirement after what had been a very promising first professional season in the AHL that had him pushing for a spot inside the top 5 of my personal prospects list. He had a very decent chance of snaring a spot (presumably Bjugstad’s) in the bottom six, but just like that, he’s out of the running.
How promising was “very promising”? Consider the splits of Philp’s lone season in Bakersfield, in which it clearly took him a little time to adapt to the pro grame. But adapt he did.
- 2022: 28 GP, 3-2-5, 0.18 points per game
- 2023: 42 GP, 16-16-32, 0.76 points per game
This by a 6’3, 198-pound, right-shot centre. Exactly the sort of player the Oilers have been seeking seemingly forever, even as the role was temporarily filled by Nick Bjugstad as a rental last spring. But with Bjugstad clearly heading elsewhere (he re-signed with Arizona on Jul 01), the opportunity surely would have been there for Philp last fall.
In his absence, the Oilers made a splendid trade for another prospect fitting the general description in Jayden Grubbe. A #65 pick by New York Rangers in the 2021 draft, the Oilers got his rights for a fifth round pick (#152) when NYR were unable to come to terms with the 6’3, 200-pound right shot pivot. The 21-year-old checking centre has had a decent pro debut of his own in 2023-24, even as his offensive totals of 7-6-13 in 56 games are a little light of what the older Philp posted in his own debut season.
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Though Philp’s one-year (due to his age at signing) Entry Level Contract had expired, Edmonton GM Ken Holland also took the precaution of issuing a qualifying offer last spring, knowing full well that it would be refused. That step preserved Edmonton’s RFA rights to the player, who has been sequestered on their Reserve List this season.
Now the Oilers have the rights to both. It stands to reason that the older Philp will vault ahead of Grubbe in terms of opportunity to make the big club next fall, even as there may be some lag due to his year away from the game. While he was acquired as a pro-ready player, it was always to be expected that Grubbe would need substantial time in the AHL, where he will surely play in 2024-25.
Whereas for the now 25-year-old Noah Philp, making the Oilers at some point during the 2024-25 season is a distinct possibility.
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