2022 NHL draft: Potential Flyers target Matthew Savoie uses size criticism ‘as motivation’

As top prospect Matthew Savoie milled around the Marriott hotel lobby in Buffalo during his limited spare time throughout the week of the NHL combine, he seldom strayed from his Winnipeg Ice teammate and combine roommate Conor Geekie.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Geekie towered over his 5-foot-9, 179-pound pal, looking more like his older brother than his peer. But while Savoie lacks the traditional size of a centerman, Geekie learned firsthand that he compensates for it with his speed.

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“Getting to play with him, [he’s] probably the fastest player I’ve ever played with,” Geekie said of Savoie. “Sometimes I can get lost trying to find him for a pass.”

Savoie has heard just about every slight, every question about his size and his ability to compete against bigger, stronger players. But at every level, from playing underage in his first bantam season to getting his first taste of Western Hockey League action at 15 years old, Savoie channeled that external skepticism into scoring.

In his first full WHL campaign, Savoie, 18, ranked seventh in the league in scoring (35 goals, 55 assists) in 65 games this season. Now he seeks to continue to prove that his play is bigger than his stature — and that it can translate at the NHL level — while approaching the draft next month as NHL Central Scouting’s fourth-ranked North American skater. Despite his smaller frame, Savoie’s immense skill could address a need for the Flyers, who hold the No. 5 pick in the draft.

“Some guys question [my size], but I take it as motivation to just be working harder and trying harder,” Savoie said. “Being more engaged in games is a thing that I need to do just being a smaller guy. So when you’re going into battles with guys that are 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, you’ve got to compete a little extra harder. I think using my mind, outsmarting the opponent has been a big part of that.”

Shortly after Savoie learned to walk, his father, Scott, had him on skates. The St. Albert, Alberta, native quickly took to an offensive role, enjoying having the puck on his stick.

Savoie’s older brother Carter, an Edmonton Oilers prospect two years his senior, pushed him to work harder on it.

“Going to his games as a kid, watching him,” Savoie said, “competing at the highest level was definitely something I wanted to do and I think it motivated me to be the best player I could and helped elevate my game.”

During the 2016-17 season, Savoie played up alongside Carter and the 2002 age group in AAA hockey with the St. Albert Sabres. At just 12 years old, Savoie ranked fourth on the team in scoring (34 goals, 27 assists in 35 games).

More important, he began to develop a sense of awareness as a smaller player in his first year of checking.

“Being the youngest player in the league, I definitely had a bit of a target on my back,” Savoie said. “I was a pretty small guy at that time. So that’s kind of where I had to learn to play with hitting, learn to be aware of my surroundings, and just keep my head up at all times.”

To make up for his lack of size, Savoie relied upon his speed to evade checks. As Savoie progressed into his second year of bantam, switching over to the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, he continued to develop his scoring and playmaking touch.

While playing up with the 2003 age group that included future NHL prospects Dylan Guenther (Arizona Coyotes), Lucas Ciona (Calgary Flames), and Zack Ostapchuk (Ottawa Senators), Savoie ranked second on the team in scoring with 97 points (28 goals, 69 assists) in 30 games.

“When an opportunity presents itself to compete against better players at the highest level of competition, I think I just raise my game and my compete level,” Savoie said.

Despite his early success at the bantam level, the path to the top of the 2022 draft class has not been a straight-line trajectory for Savoie. Before the Ice selected Savoie No. 1 overall in the 2019 WHL bantam draft, he applied for exceptional status, which would permit him to play the full 2019-20 season in the league at 15 years old.

At the time, Savoie was committed to play college hockey at Denver with his brother. Hockey Canada denied his request for exceptional status. Savoie later rescinded his college commitment.

“I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder from obviously not receiving the exceptional status, but just used it as motivation to keep improving, keep working hard,” Savoie said.

That season, Savoie split time between the CSSHL U18 league and the WHL. Savoie called the year “difficult,” posting seven assists in 22 games with the Ice while struggling to find consistency. Halfway through the season, Savoie was on the receiving end of an open-ice hit that knocked him unconscious.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and the WHL shut down the following season, Savoie laced up for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. But four games into the regular season the league suspended play as well, leading Savoie to join the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints for the remainder of the year.

Over 34 games, Savoie established more than a point-per-game pace (21 goals, 17 assists) with the Fighting Saints. Thanks to a similar pace of play and skill level between the USHL and WHL, Savoie found that his time in Dubuque prepared him for success upon his return to the Ice in his draft year.

“I think handling the puck more [helped me feel more comfortable],” Savoie said. “Having the puck on my stick a little bit more. Just trusting myself to make the right reads, make the right plays. Once things started clicking, I thought it didn’t really stop from there. I just kept trusting myself.”

Savoie commanded attention on a talented ICE roster that included Geekie and Flyers 2020 sixth-round pick Connor McClennon. His team-high 90 points led all WHL rookies, helping Winnipeg win the league’s regular-season title.

His offensive tools stood out to director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr, who views Savoie as the most natural goal scorer in this draft class.

“He’s got the speed, the talent, but he’s got the savvy and smart and he’s competitive,” Marr said. “He’s not a big guy, but he’s not afraid or intimidated by any situation. But he’s the guy you want to put on the ice when you need a goal and he’s going to generate an offensive opportunity.”

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A shoulder injury he suffered in Game 2 of Winnipeg’s conference final series against the Edmonton Oil Kings shut down Savoie for the postseason, rendering him unable to participate in the combine’s physical testing. However, as an invitee to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in March, Savoie led all 36 CHL skaters in on-ice testing.

But Savoie’s injury certainly didn’t stop teams from testing him in the interview process. Given his size, clubs were curious to know how comfortable he would be shifting from center to wing at the NHL level.

“I played center and wing pretty consistently, both positions, the last three or four years,” Savoie said. “I don’t think for a full season I’ve stuck at one position. So kind of what I’ve been telling teams is I feel comfortable with both positions, played both of them a lot.”

After all, learning to adapt while facing adversity is what helped Savoie rise to the top of the draft class in the first place.