Edmonton Oilers forward Noah Philp is about four months younger than former phenom Jesse Puljujarvi, but their NHL debuts were eight years and 19 days apart. In each player’s story, we can find the complexities of prospect procurement for the hockey industry.

Today, Puljujarvi is playing in Switzerland. His NHL career may well be over after 387 games that showed brilliance, frustration, injury and the dangers of bringing prospects to the NHL too early. Meanwhile, Philp’s story is a veritable long and winding road that could see him eventually pass the career games total of the far more heralded Puljujarvi. We’re getting ahead of the story, as Philp is just 15 games into his career.

The current chapter of the story is all about Philp and what he’s doing on NHL ice this fall. Those who have seen Philp in training camp this year are excited about his future. The Oilers arrived at preseason looking for a few good men who could elevate last year’s Stanley Cup finalists and help break through to a championship. Philp, in a depth role that includes fourth-line centre and penalty killing, could contribute in a material way.

He’s come a long way

Oilers fans first heard about Philp on Bob Stauffer’s radio show, about 18 months before the club signed him. At the time, Philp was dominating Canadian college hockey during the 2019-20 season as a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears. A right-handed centre who can play at a high level against quality college opponents is going to get attention. The Oilers won the race to sign him in April 2022.

Philp had a strong debut season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors in 2022-23. He didn’t make it all the way to the NHL, but was on the radar for the following season before taking a year away from the game. The Oilers were in need of a right-handed centre throughout the organization, so names like Brandon Sutter (on a tryout) and Jayden Grubbe (via trade) were added in this period, but finding a righty centre with a 200-foot game that plays in the NHL is a needle in a haystack.

None sufficed, and Philp’s return for the 2024-25 season was welcome. He was once again top quality in the AHL and earned 15 games in the NHL last season.

This year’s camp

Philp is 27 and won’t qualify as an NHL rookie. However, he has a chance to impact the Oilers in a positive way because of his utility. He’s a bigger centre, a righty, can win battles for pucks and plays a rugged style. He can also pass the puck brilliantly (his assists this fall have been marvellous), and his goal was high slot and an absolute dart. He’s even doing well in the faceoff circle, an area that needed some improvement from last year’s NHL games.

Philp has probably been ready since midseason of 2022-23. In his first 20 AHL games of 2024-25, he scored seven goals, added six assists and delivered a 62 percent goal share (18-11) at even strength. There’s nothing left to learn in Bakersfield.

Get ready for more distant bells

The Oilers are shopping the world for hockey talent despite being absent of many draft picks over recent seasons. Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman was aggressive earlier in the calendar year in signing European prospects, and that work is on display at training camp.

David Tomasek led the SweHL in scoring and appears to have a job secured for this season in Edmonton. Among European players signed over the offseason who will play with the Condors, Atro Leppänen is as advertised as a passer and brings more structure defensively than expected. Josh Samanski has been a revelation, a big centre who can make plays and impact the game in all areas. Viljami Marjala has shown real skill and will build on his training camp over the winter in Bakersfield.

College men Quinn Hutson and Damien Carfagna should also be added to the list. Here are the preseason numbers for each of the offseason additions so far, sorted by ice time.

PlayerTOINotes

64 mins

1 assist

59 mins

1 goal

48 mins

1 assist

42 mins

1 assist

38 mins

1 goal, 1 assist

0 mins

All numbers via Natural Stat Trick

If you examine the total ice time for hopefuls in training camp, it’s possible to get a good idea of what the coach is thinking.

This table suggests Leppanan and Tomasek were the top newcomers entering camp and have held their positions (Hutson has played an extra game).

The one player who may have earned more playing time is Samanski. He’s big and strong with some real offensive ability, so the coaching staff may want to see him for another game. The same might be true for Hutson.

Opening-night roster

Less than two weeks from the opening night of the 2025-26 season, here’s a guess at the Oilers roster (rookies and players who do not qualify as rookies but have less than 25 NHL games of experience in bold):

Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard
Defencemen: Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman, Brett Kulak, Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher
Centres: Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique, Noah Philp, Curtis Lazar
Left wingers: Leon Draisaitl, Andrew Mangiapane, Vasily Podkolzin, Ike Howard, Mattias Janmark
Right wingers: Trent Frederic, Matt Savoie, David Tomasek, Kasperi Kapanen

The biggest surprise addition, based on pre-camp wisdom, is Philp. The biggest waiver worries would be Roby Jarventie (who was placed on waivers Saturday) and Alec Regula, but the organization may well view those transactions as acceptable risks.

Philp arrived in camp with many observers believing Curtis Lazar would fill the No. 4 centre role. That may well happen, but Philp has played well enough to secure a spot on the opening-night roster. If that spot isn’t on the Oilers roster, it may well come in another NHL city via waivers.

(Photo: Paul Swanson / NHLI via Getty Images)