EDMONTON – It’s been a heckuva week for the Edmonton Oilers newest forward, Noah Philp, and certainly one he won’t ever forget.
Filled with short-notice flights, being thrown into the deep end, and plenty of emotions and excitement, the 26-year-old centre from Canmore marked off a few big goals on his checklist like debuting in the NHL and recording his first point with the Oilers.
“It was an amazing game,” said Philp of his debut against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 31. “I thought just the energy from all the guys was just so much fun to be a part of and having my family here was incredible.”
Like all players debuting, the Canmore hockey star, high on nerves, skated a traditional pre-game rookie lap around the ice at Bridgestone Arena.
Philp’s family – his parents and wife – were at ice level while he warmed up.
“They were all standing there right at the glass and I went up and gave them a smile and took a quick picture and it was a pretty precious moment for all of us I think,” he said.
Though, that wasn’t the only impact Philp would make that night.
On only his second shift in the first period, the rookie controlled the puck behind the Predators net and made a bullet pass to winger Drake Caggiula for a one-timer. The point blank shot missed the mark but the rebound slid to the stick of potential hall of famer Corey Perry, who quickly deked out goalie Juuse Saros and found the back of the net, giving Philp the secondary assist on the goal.
As the Oilers rookie celebrated the goal, the camera quickly zoomed in on his family, on their feet and cheering in the crowd.
Lisa de Soto, Philp’s mom, said it was a “thrill of a lifetime watching him do that.”
“We’re just sitting on the edge of our seats,” said de Soto.
Philp’s parents made the trip to Nashville rather unexpectedly. They were visiting their other son, Luke, in Pennsylvania while he was getting back from an injury with the AHL’s Hershey Bears when Noah called them about the Oilers needing his services.
“Our first instinct was, well, we came all the way to Hershey to be with Luke and support him through his injury recovery,” said de Soto.
However, Luke, who made his NHL debut in 2022 with the Chicago Blackhawks, knew the importance of the moment for his baby brother.
“Luke looked at us and said, ‘Don’t be kidding me. You need to go to see Noah and be there for his first game,’ and, absolutely, it was the right move,” said de Soto.
From sitting in cold, empty hockey arenas around Alberta to watching the biggest game of their son’s life in Nashville alongside passionate fans, their hearts swelled in the moment, especially while next to Oilers’ defenceman Darnell Nurse’s parents.
“Once a parent, always a parent,” said de Soto. “It’s just a reminder that they’re always your little boy.”
The Oilers won 5-1 in Philp’s debut.
After the game, a chance cancelled flight saw the Oilers spending the night in Nashville, which gave Philp an opportunity to celebrate the immense moment with his wife and parents.
“He said he wasn’t going to be able to go to sleep,” said de Soto. “He just needed to wind down and just chat about it, but he had a smile from ear-to-ear. It was just great.”
Then in Philp’s second NHL game, it was against a familiar team in a familiar building and part of a familiar rivalry.
The Battle of Alberta returned to Calgary on Sunday (Nov. 3), with Philp on the opposite side of the team he grew up watching.
The Oilers won 4-2. The next night against the New Jersey Devils in Edmonton, the Oilers were blanked 3-0.
The Oilers had recalled Philp, along with forward Drake Caggiula, from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors after star Connor McDavid was injured against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the debut that Philp’s ability in the faceoff circle will be “important for us” without their star centre in the lineup.
On Wednesday (Nov. 6), Philp was sent back to the minors as McDavid returned from injury.
In three games, Philp won 14 of 29 faceoffs (48.3 per cent), winning 55.6 per cent in the offensive zone.
The rookie centre is averaging 10:13 minutes of ice time per game.
Oilers’ sniper Leon Draisitl commented on Philp’s NHL debut. He noted the uncommon nature of his teammate’s path to the league after Philp took time off for personal reasons. On top of the pressure of playing at an elite level, Philp has received lots of attention from media and fans alike about his story.
“To play in the NHL a couple months after being off for a full year, that seems nearly impossible and he’s just inching closer and closer to making a career out of this, so [I’m] very impressed with the way he handles himself and the way he plays the game, so I think he’s got a bright future ahead,” said Draisitl.
Last July, Philp re-signed with the Oilers on a one-year, two-way contract almost as unexpectedly as a year prior when he stepped away from professional hockey.
While off, he travelled overseas, but then around 10 months later, he felt a “pretty big urge” to return to hockey.
When asked what he thought about his journey to this point, Philp answered short and sweet about it.
“(...) It’s wild, but nothing’s impossible,” he said.