You may not know the name Matthew Savoie just yet, but you will soon. The 15-year old forward was selected first overall in the 2019 WHL Bantam draft, despite having committed to the University of Denver. The Winnipeg Ice—newly relocated from Kootenay—took a chance on Savoie anyway, and have now convinced him to sign and play in the CHL. Playing in the CHL means Savoie would no longer be eligible for the NCAA, as they consider it a professional league since various players have already signed their NHL entry-level contracts.
Not only was it risky to pick a player with a commitment to such a powerhouse program like DU, but Savoie will only actually be eligible to play in a limited number of games next season given his age. He was turned down by the CHL when applying for exceptional status, but Tyler Yaremchuk reports that the Ice have found a loophole that will at least allow the young forward to play in 34 games. Injury and emergency recalls may even boost that number into the 40-50 game range, if Savoie is lucky.
Savoie won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2022, but he’s certainly already on the radar of teams around the league. The 5’9″ 165-lbs forward scored 71 points in 31 games for Norther Alberta X-Treme Prep this season, and added another 12 points in five playoff contests. The young forward has been dominating his age group for years now, and the Ice did everything they could to get him into the program, including trading for his brother Carter Savoie’s WHL rights in March.
It’s hard to see this as anything other than a huge win for Winnipeg, who also signed second-overall pick Conor Geekie a few weeks ago. Getting the top two players in the draft can only serve to help the program as it tries to establish some roots in Winnipeg.