The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to play their second-last pre-season game on Wednesday, and as training camp nears its end and player cuts keep coming, former University of Alberta Golden Bears centre Noah Philp is relishing the chance to keep battling for a roster spot.
“(I’m) learning every day,” the 26-year-old Canmore native told Global News this week.
Philp’s return to the Oilers organization this offseason is somewhat of a renaissance for his hockey career.
The former Western Hockey league player spent the 2022-23 season playing for the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate the Bakersfield Condors, where he scored 19 goals and chipped in 18 assists in 70 games. But then he took the next season off.
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“What leaving did that was great was it made it feel so fresh again,” Philp said.
Now, it appears Philp is left competing with Drake Caggiula and Raphael Lavoie for the 13th forward spot …