Last night, the Oilers had their first game of rookie camp, with the Flames taking the win 6-5. Now, win or lose, it's not that big of a deal, what's important is that the Oilers top prospects have a good game, and they did.
I identified Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson as players to watch, and they did not disappoint.
Matt Savoie scored two goals, wearing the C for the rookie squad. He was the Oilers best player and had a lot of strong shifts in the offensive zone. He controlled the play well and seemed to be in control of every shift. This is exactly the type of game Savoie needed to have, as he is vying for a spot on the Oilers roster. Hopefully he can keep this going in the following games. Now I understand he was playing Flames rookies, but he needs to show that he is head and shoulders better than all of those players, which he did.
Isaac Howard was on a line with Savoie, and the two showed a lot of chemistry. They generated several scoring chances, and were dangerous out there. Howard showed why he won the Hobey Baker award by utilizing his strong offensive talents to form a good one two punch with Savoie. He made some nice passes out there and he posses an amazing shot, which he was not afraid to use. Again, this is rookie camp, but Howard demonstrated why he is high up on the Oilers prospect pipeline.
Quinn Hutson had a good game, scoring one goal in the dying seconds of the game with an accurate in the top right of the net. He showed his strengths by playing a solid two way, and using his strong shot to get on the board.
Overall, the three had a solid game, but this needs to continue in the following game on Sunday in Calgary
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