SAVOIE ‘TAKING IN THE EXPERIENCE’ OF BEING AN AMERK
Oct 24, 2023
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
Matthew Savoie is a Rochester American. At least for now.
The ninth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft will join the Amerks on a conditioning stint from the Buffalo Sabres. Savoie can spend as little as one day in the Flower City and as many as 14 before Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams must make a choice: either bring the 19-year-old prospect up to Buffalo where he would be required to stay the remainder of the year with the Sabres, or send him back to Winnipeg to rejoin his junior team in the Western Hockey League.
The option is all or nothing for Savoie in the NHL this season, but the young centerman is focused on one thing right now: being an Amerk.
“I’m just taking in the experience,” said Savoie following Monday’s practice at The Blue Cross Arena. “I’m excited to get back into games. It’s been a little bit since I’ve played in a game, so I don’t think it’ll be instant. It may take time to get my legs back under me and have the feel of the game and the timing back.”
All signs point to Savoie making his regular season debut with Rochester Wednesday night when the team hosts Charlotte, but this won’t be the first time the St. Albert, Alberta native wears an Amerks jersey. Savoie skated in Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Hershey in May.
Quite the task for a teenager.
“Jumping in last year was a tough experience. My first taste of pro hockey was in the Eastern Conference Finals where every game was so important. But coming in with that experience and taste from last year really helped me going into this past summer and knowing what to prepare for and how to prepare better.”
“He took the experience he had last year, and it gave him information for how to go about attacking his summer,” said head coach Seth Appert when asked about Savoie’s integration back into the lineup. “That’s the way Savoie’s mind works. He’s very intelligent, very inquisitive, and extremely hardworking. He took that information he gained from his experience last year, put it into his attack plan during the summer and came in looking excellent in rookie camp.”
Savoie turned heads at the Sabres Prospect Challenge this past September, before suffering an upper-body injury during the team’s final game. He has an older brother, Carter, who had a similar situation occur. Carter, an Edmonton Oilers draft pick, got injured during a prospects game last year and missed a chunk of his first professional season. It’s that experience, on top of the overall journey of pro hockey, that Matt has leaned on his older brother for advice.
“I talk to my brother every day. Last year I asked him about how his whole season went. I wanted to get his experience and see how he handled things. He talked about just putting your head down and working hard. I had some takeaways for how he handled it and how he got past it.”
Expectations are high for Savoie. They were high when he posted 90 points in his 2021-22 WHL season to have his named called at the draft podium that summer. The expectations rose again when Savoie finished tied for sixth in scoring across the league last year with 38 goals and 57 assists to round out a 95-point campaign. By the way, he finished second among all WHL forwards with a plus-minus rating of plus-57, trailing only fellow Sabres’ draft pick, Zach Benson.
All eyes will be on No. 93 Wednesday night at Blue Cross Arena. Those eyes will pay attention to every detail. How he skates, passes, shoots. His face-offs and ability to operate in all three zones. The details are in abundance, yet Appert is keeping things simple. When Savoie takes his first regular season shift in the AHL this Wednesday, the bench boss has given the 19-year-old phenom one goal to focus on.
“I want him to have fun,” said Appert. “At the end of the day it’s a game and everybody’s playing their best when they’re competing, having fun, and embracing the experience. Don’t worry about what happens in two weeks. That will all take care of itself. It’s important to compete and have fun and I think Matt’s in the right mindset to embrace that experience.”