Yahoo Sports Oilers Recall Unique Forward For Second Chance
Second time's the charm?
The day after dressing only 11 forwards thanks to a lack of centre depth, the Oilers are addressing that lack of depth. They announced this evening that they've recalled 26-year-old Noah Philp from Bakersfield for the second time this season.
The #Oilers have recalled forward Noah Philp from the @Condors. The 26-year-old has scored 9 goals & 8 assists in 28 games with Bakersfield this season. pic.twitter.com/0F3ZaptUlz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 14, 2025
This has been a long time coming for Philp. He made his NHL debut with a brief cup of coffee earlier in the season, notching one assist in three games when Connor McDavid went down with an injury in late October, but this time he should be up for good.
Philp's story is well-known in Edmonton by now. The Canmore native spent two seasons playing for the University of Alberta before signing with the Bakersfield Condors as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Philp then went on hiatus for the 2023-24 season before returning to action at Oilers training camp this season.
Originally viewed as a longshot for NHL minutes, the 6'3" Philp nearly won a job out of camp with an extremely impressive pre-season, showing his chops as a defensive bottom-six centre.
Philp has had a successful season in Bakersfield, scoring 9 goals and 17 points in 28 games for the Condors. He won't be counted on for offence in Edmonton but rather serve as a big-bodied faceoff specialist on the fourth line.
This news comes as the incumbent fourth-line centre, Derek Ryan, has seen his ice-time cut severely in the new year. The 38-year-old has been a healthy scratch in four of the Oilers' six games in 2025, and the eye test shows that he just doesn't have the necessary legs for a checking role anymore.
The likely result is a changing of the guard on the fourth line, as one former Golden Bear replaces another. Philp should get an extended look in this new role before the trade deadline, and with a good showing would save the Oilers from having to trade for a bottom-six centre in March.
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