| Matthew Savoie | Winnipeg Ice | WHL | R | C | 5’9″ | 179 | Winnipeg Ice | 2019 | St. Albert, AB | 2004 | 2021-2022: A |
Ian Moran’s Thoughts: Savoie is obviously a high end talent who has always seemed to process the game more quickly that his peers. I believe that if a player is in the USHL during his draft year, not with the NTDP but playing on a USHL team, and he plays at a point per game pace then you have a pretty gifted player that deserves your attention. Well all you really need to know is that during his underage 2020-21 season Savoie played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints and had 38 points in 34 games including 21 goals which was second on the team to Robert Cronin’s 28 goals in 48 games.
USHL: Dubuque vs Waterloo, March 30, 2021: The former 1st overall pick in the WHL, Savoie is an ‘04 but has serious speed and skill. He used his speed and edges to blow by opponents in the neutral zone and has excellent puck control allowing him to make skilled plays at top speed. He scored a nice 5-hole goal in stride streaking up the ice through the neutral zone and cutting to the net. He has a quick release on his snap and wrist shot, he can get it off with defenders on him and he’s able to use his quickness and burst to create separation and buy time and space for himself and his teammates. Savoie has a high IQ and doesn’t solely rely on his skill, he processes the whole sheet, makes quick reads and knows where to go with the puck or to get open away from the puck. He reads the goalie, he shoots to score and has the pace and playmaking ability to be dangerous every time he has the puck. He finished the game with a 1-1-2 line. The young prospect will draw a lot of early first round NHL draft attention next season. WHL: Kootenay Ice Grade: A
USHL: Dubuque vs Green Bay, March 19, 2021: Savoie is a dynamic offensive player for the Fighting Saints who registered a goal and an assist on three shots in this game. On his goal, the speedy forward read the play well on the forecheck and pick-pocketed the Green Bay defenseman in front of his net, and then made a beautiful backhand to forehand move to finish the play off. He is creative with the puck on his stick and was a threat any time he was allowed to enter the offensive zone with time and space. Savoie skates extremely well and can beat defenders wide, but if gaps are soft he does an excellent job of using ice high in the zone to create and make plays to his teammates in scoring areas. His vision and skillset make him extremely hard to contain defensively and this makes opponents hesitant when Savoie is bearing down on them with the puck. Overall, he is an elite offensive player and has the skill and speed to change games. Grade: A
USHL: Waterloo vs Dubuque, January 29, 2021: Savoie is an explosive offensive player that had the game tying goal and game winning goal, both of which came in the first three minutes of the third period. He has great straight ahead speed and is extremely dangerous on the rush with the puck on his stick. On his first goal he showed great patience after receiving a pass, dragging the puck, and shooting a hard, low shot that beat the goalie. On his second goal showed off his speed by beating a defender wide with speed, lowering his shoulder and driving the net, and extending his reach around the goalie’s far pad to tuck the puck in. These two goals were the difference in the game and gave the Fighting Saints the win. Grade: A
U18: CSSHL Midget Showcase, February 16, 2020: Matthew played all three games for Rink this weekend, finishing with two goals and four assists. His blazing speed and quickness were on full display again and he was quick on opponents forcing bad decisions and turnovers. The ’04 has elite vision and passing to go along with his strong hockey IQ. We liked his tenacious penalty killing abilities and he did well to clog up passing lanes in the neutral zone. He is smart with his positioning and he reads the play very well. One quick mistake and Matt can make you pay with his strong offensive instincts and explosive speed and talent. Already playing some games in the WHL this year, he is a prospect to keep an eye on and one that is likely to be a first-rounder in his NHL Draft year. Grade: A
U15: Canadian Youth Olympic Team vs Lac St-Louis Lions, January 16, 2020: An already highly touted prospect who’s played against older competition for most of his life, with 12 WHL games under his belt, Savoie was on another level in this contest. He’s elusive, poised, crafty, shifty and smells offensive opportunities. He attacks the blue line with speed backing defenseman up giving him room to operate – this is where he’s dangerous. He had several zone entries where he shifted the defenseman allowing him to create space to either hit the late man or give him that extra time to cut to the net. In this game, it was impressive to see how well he handles the puck in tight quarters; his handles along with his feet are lightning quick with a low center of gravity making him hard to move off the puck. He had a couple of nice assists in this one along with a bunch of high quality scoring opportunities. On one of his assists, he controlled the puck with poise on the blue line in his offensive zone, and fired a low one aiming for his linemates’ stick, redirecting one in. His other assist was high end as well, holding on to the puck for the perfect amount of time before feeding one to the slot during the power play. Look to hear his name more often for years to come.
Canada Winter Games, March 1, 2019: Great speed up and down the ice was tough to match. Made it hard for defenders to stop him when he drove wide with the puck and moved his feet. Quick to jump on loose pucks, then always looked to get puck right to the net with a step on a defender. Great work ethic in all three zone, got stick in lanes defending, blocked shots, and supported puck on breakout well always being an outlet for teammates. Grade: A-
World Select Invite, June 4, 2018: The 2004 is an elite talent. His speed, skill vision and hockey sense were all unmatched even playing an age group up. Puck never slowed him and he scored highlight reel goals and also pumped wrist shots in stride, found loose pucks around the cage and emerged from scrums on the wall. He played the point on the power play and his passing is crisp, consistent and put his teammates in spots to succeed. He is one step ahead in both his pace and skill but also in his processing. Special player with special skills and the confidence to try creative/daring plays and succeed. Sky’s the limit with Savoie. Has a great chance to be great.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images