2020 Draft - 2nd Pick: Carter Savoie

CupofOil

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I'm starting to get seriously hyped for this kid. He's an elite goal scorer. With a release like that he's going to find a role in the NHL. I think he has more upside than Holloway, but obviously more work to do to reach it. It's pretty cool that we managed to pick up two pretty high-end forward prospects in a draft where we drafted #16 and #100 lol.

It's interesting too that Savoie is so far blowing Holloway's rookie season in the NCAA out of the water, despite both of them coming straight from the AJHL and Holloway being the guy that is gifted with size and speed. NCAA is not easy and it's a big transition from the AJHL, yet Savoie has made it look seamless. Very impressive.

What Savoie is doing is impressive no doubt but we need to take role into account when comparing he and Holloway. He's on the top line (top offensive line) and gets top unit PP time whereas Holloway was buried behind two of the best college prospects. Holloway also brings a lot more to the table when not scoring.

This isn't to degrade what Savoie is doing, it has been a treat to watch and he has the best offensive skillset of any non 1st round Oiler prospect since forever, but just giving some perspective to Holloway's Freshman numbers compared to Savoie.
 

Zaddy

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What Savoie is doing is impressive no doubt but we need to take role into account when comparing he and Holloway. He's on the top line (top offensive line) and gets top unit PP time whereas Holloway was buried behind two of the best college prospects. Holloway also brings a lot more to the table when not scoring.

This isn't to degrade what Savoie is doing, it has been a treat to watch and he has the best offensive skillset of any non 1st round Oiler prospect since forever, but just giving some perspective to Holloway's Freshman numbers compared to Savoie.

Of course, but even with that considered I'd argue that to date Savoie comparatively has looked better as a freshman. By most accounts Holloway was disappointing last year and took a long time to get going at all while Savoie is firing on all cylinders right away. Saying it's about opportunity only is to oversimplify it IMO.
 

Behind Enemy Lines

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I'm starting to get seriously hyped for this kid. He's an elite goal scorer. With a release like that he's going to find a role in the NHL. I think he has more upside than Holloway, but obviously more work to do to reach it. It's pretty cool that we managed to pick up two pretty high-end forward prospects in a draft where we drafted #16 and #100 lol.

It's interesting too that Savoie is so far blowing Holloway's rookie season in the NCAA out of the water, despite both of them coming straight from the AJHL and Holloway being the guy that is gifted with size and speed. NCAA is not easy and it's a big transition from the AJHL, yet Savoie has made it look seamless. Very impressive.

Appreciate your optimism. Great to see a mid-draft pick excel in a small sample. Savoie is giving us some hope. Goal scoring is a coveted skill set.

Too early to put him on Halloway's tier of prospect. Skating, size, aggressive playing style, versatility to play centre/wing and ability to play up and down the lineup. Specialty team play both PP and PK. Holloway has expansive pro level versatility in his game and unfulfilled offensive production really only in one year as 17 year old college freshman. American college tends to be more finesse based and doesn't have the schedule grind of pro hockey. Tailor made for smallish players like Savoie to percolate and develop over three-four years.

We can be excited about both prospects. We'll need some more runway to see how and if they can both develop into strong NHL players. I do share your point that it is good to have young forward prospects to be excited about.
 

CupofOil

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Of course, but even with that considered I'd argue that to date Savoie comparatively has looked better as a freshman. By most accounts Holloway was disappointing last year and took a long time to get going at all while Savoie is firing on all cylinders right away. Saying it's about opportunity only is to oversimplify it IMO.

But would Holloway have been as disappointing if he was in a primary scoring role and conversely, would Savoie be as impressive if he was playing behind Caufield and Turcotte in a secondary role with second unit PP time? We'll never know but context matters when comparing their freshman seasons.

Savoie does have a better offensive toolbox than Holloway though, I don't think there's much of a doubt about that. His pure offensive skillset is better than most prospects which just makes it all the more crazy that he dropped to 100 just because his play away from the puck needed work and because he was a little chubby.
 
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McDNicks17

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I disagree. If Holloway played better he would've gotten more opportunity. It's not like Wisconsin was this amazing, impenetrable team last season. And obviously it's not just that year, Savoie outproduced him in the AJHL too.

Anyway, I'm not saying there's a gigantic difference between them or anything. Holloway has more tools and is the much safer bet to be an NHLer, but I don't think you can ignore Savoie's offensive upside either. Kid can clearly play.

The coach put him in a defensive role. He wasn't going to take a guy like Turcotte or Caufield's spot.

The AJHL comparison isn't apples to apples either. Savoie's team was pretty close to a Sam Gagner era London Knights team. Savoie was second on his team in scoring and one of five players over a point-per-game while Holloway was 1st on his team with 22 more points than the next guy.

Points aren't going to tell the whole story between these two.
 

CycloneSweep

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Sep 27, 2017
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The coach put him in a defensive role. He wasn't going to take a guy like Turcotte or Caufield's spot.

The AJHL comparison isn't apples to apples either. Savoie's team was pretty close to a Sam Gagner era London Knights team. Savoie was second on his team in scoring and one of five players over a point-per-game while Holloway was 1st on his team with 22 more points than the next guy.

Points aren't going to tell the whole story between these two.
I could see Savoie being in a Debrincta situation. He was second on a stacked team put up a ton of goals people wondered if it was due to his linemates, then they immediately prove otherwise.
 

Zaddy

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“Bad start. He is struggling to keep pace…the college game is way too fast for him right now.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

“He struggling to adapt, the AJHL is lot slower pace than U.S College.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

“He can skate but plays the game on the outside. I question how high end hi skill is as well.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

These were some comments on Holloway by NHL scouts after 1-2 months of play in the NCAA. These assessments have little to do with where in the lineup he was. On the contrary it shows why he wasn't playing bigger minutes. It's pretty evident that Savoie has shown way more already through his first month at the same level.

Again, I'll emphasize, I think Holloway is the better NHL prospect at the moment but Savoie is quickly rising and if he keeps this up could possibly pass Holloway at the end of the season. But who knows what'll happen. He might very well cool off pretty significantly while Holloway has a massive WJC and finish to the season and solidifies himself as a great prospect.

I'm just excited about Savoie, that's all. We have two very good forward prospects in the two of them :)
 
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Aceboogie

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Its crazy hes doing this at age 18. If he was a 20 year old doing this after multiple AJHL seasons, itd still be impressive but more expected. Hes entering into pretty special territory if he keeps it up

Hopefully its not just a crazy hot streak, but most of his goals look legit and not some lucky tap ins
 

Pass the Saitl Sauce

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Its crazy hes doing this at age 18. If he was a 20 year old doing this after multiple AJHL seasons, itd still be impressive but more expected. Hes entering into pretty special territory if he keeps it up

Hopefully its not just a crazy hot streak, but most of his goals look legit and not some lucky tap ins
At this point I’m comparing him to caulfeilds D+1 last year and wondering what made one a first rounder and the other a 4th. Don’t let habs fans see this though
 
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CupofOil

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At this point I’m comparing him to caulfeilds D+1 last year and wondering what made one a first rounder and the other a 4th. Don’t let habs fans see this though

USNDP hype which is more well known for cranking out NHLers. If Savoie put up those crazy numbers in the U.S. program, you better believe that he would have been hyped more. Caufield had a few less questions about his overall game too I believe.

Nevertheless, I made a Caufield comparison as well a few pages back. Savoie has some proving to do but if he keeps this up the whole season, I don't think much will differentiate them but it's too soon for that type of talk.

What makes this seem fairly sustainable is that just about all his goals were legit goal scorer goals, not one fluke. Much like Caufield, those shots are frequently ticketed for the small opening the goalie gives them and they waste little time getting it off. Deadly accurate.
 
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MoontoScott

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Jun 2, 2012
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It's fun to realize that for the first time in a long time, HF Oil is excited about 2 Oiler draft years in a row.

I think there's about a 50% chance that all 4 of Broberg/Lavoie/Holloway/Savoie could be bonafide NHL'ers and that's pretty good shooting when evaluating 18 year olds.

Not all stars mind you but the early returns look promising compared to so many other Oiler draft years.

It's just a totally different "feel" under Holland than it was under Chia. It may turn out to be a mirage but for the moment it looks good to thirsty fans.

Hey, has anybody heard what Lowe is doing around the organization these days?
 

Aceboogie

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Aug 25, 2012
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It's fun to realize that for the first time in a long time, HF Oil is excited about 2 Oiler draft years in a row.

I think there's about a 50% chance that all 4 of Broberg/Lavoie/Holloway/Savoie could be bonafide NHL'ers and that's pretty good shooting when evaluating 18 year olds.

Not all stars mind you but the early returns look promising compared to so many other Oiler draft years.

It's just a totally different "feel" under Holland than it was under Chia. It may turn out to be a mirage but for the moment it looks good to thirsty fans.

Hey, has anybody heard what Lowe is doing around the organization these days?

I was one of the biggest Chiarelli haters- but those drafts were actually solid. Jones, Bear, Marino, Yamamoto (late first-rounder, but crushing it) all NHLers. Benson, Berglund, Safin, McLeod, Maksimov, Samorukov, Skinner, Wells were/are still good prospects and most had same success in the junior ranks as the current crop

Our drafting looks so good because we are actually picking players with skill and upside, vs picking coke machines, and great things are happening. For 10 years we had brutal later round drafts and thats really crushed us. I have been saying it for a year now, but we are due for a late round absolute steal. Not due to our skill at drafting, but its more a numbers game and we are due for a late round guy to turn into a perennial all-star
 

snipes

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Its crazy hes doing this at age 18. If he was a 20 year old doing this after multiple AJHL seasons, itd still be impressive but more expected. Hes entering into pretty special territory if he keeps it up

Hopefully its not just a crazy hot streak, but most of his goals look legit and not some lucky tap ins

When you can shoot the puck like him that’s not luck.



His release, velocity, and accuracy scream ELITE shooting ability. Not to mention his knack for finding open spaces. That shot is beating NHL goalies without question

The fact that it’s obvious in his games that he’s also made a concerted defensive effort in recent games is very encouraging. You’re seeing him now routinely below the goal line finishing checks and clearing the crease, those are things he wasn’t routinely doing last year in the AJHL. Not to mention his skating is improved as well.
 
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Fourier

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Dec 29, 2006
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“Bad start. He is struggling to keep pace…the college game is way too fast for him right now.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

“He struggling to adapt, the AJHL is lot slower pace than U.S College.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

“He can skate but plays the game on the outside. I question how high end hi skill is as well.” - NHL Scout, November 2019

These were some comments on Holloway by NHL scouts after 1-2 months of play in the NCAA. These assessments have little to do with where in the lineup he was. On the contrary it shows why he wasn't playing bigger minutes. It's pretty evident that Savoie has shown way more already through his first month at the same level.

Again, I'll emphasize, I think Holloway is the better NHL prospect at the moment but Savoie is quickly rising and if he keeps this up could possibly pass Holloway at the end of the season. But who knows what'll happen. He might very well cool off pretty significantly while Holloway has a massive WJC and finish to the season and solidifies himself as a great prospect.

I'm just excited about Savoie, that's all. We have two very good forward prospects in the two of them :)
Just as a quick aside, I am a bit surprised by the "he plays the game on the outside" comment from that scout. Sure does not sound like Holloway to me. .

I like what both prospects bring to the table. This team could use an elite finisher. If he can translate that to the NHl level, they certainly have the centers who can get him the puck. Holloway's versatility is also very intriguing.
 
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Fourier

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Dec 29, 2006
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Waterloo Ontario
It's fun to realize that for the first time in a long time, HF Oil is excited about 2 Oiler draft years in a row.
,
I think there's about a 50% chance that all 4 of Broberg/Lavoie/Holloway/Savoie could be bonafide NHL'ers and that's pretty good shooting when evaluating 18 year olds.

Not all stars mind you but the early returns look promising compared to so many other Oiler draft years.

It's just a totally different "feel" under Holland than it was under Chia. It may turn out to be a mirage but for the moment it looks good to thirsty fans.

Hey, has anybody heard what Lowe is doing around the organization these days?
It's actually more than 2. Three years ago they got Bouchard, McLeod, Rodrigue and Kesselring. 4 years ago it was Yamamoto and Samorukov.
 

Senor Catface

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Jul 25, 2006
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What the EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide said about Savoie seems to be carrying over to the next level.

Savoie reads defenders like few other players in the draft. He is acutely aware of opposing sticks and actively baits them. Savoie is deceptive; he looks off his targeted play and keeps the same grip on his stick, whether he's passing, dangling, or shooting. Savoie fires with power, precision, and with some trickery; using screens to his advantage.
 

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