BUFFALO — When it comes to hockey, there was no stopping. Matthew Savoyeven as a child.
Not even a significant cut to his leg that sent him straight to the hospital for stitches and frostbite on his leg after he was caught by a bicycle pedal while on a bike ramp outside his home.
Savoie, who was “8 or 9 years old” at the time, was playing hockey hours later.
“I always want to be on the ice,” the 18-year-old Buffalo Sabers prospect center said. “I always want to be in the game, I never want to take time off. He’s the kind of person I am.”
Savoie, the No. 9 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has had the drive and passion for the game long before he had 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists) in 65 games for Winnipeg of the Western Hockey League. last season. After two dominant seasons in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, Savoie (5-foot-9, 179 pounds) applied for exceptional status through Hockey Canada with his sights set on playing in the WHL at age 15. With that goal in mind, he completed his 9th grade education in one summer so he could go directly to 10th grade.
His request for exceptional status was denied, but he didn’t stop there. Instead, she fed him even more.
“I think a lot of my motivation is internal,” Savoie said. “I think I’m always a motivated person, I’ve always been dedicated. I took it easy and looked to keep improving.”
His competitiveness and love of the game come from home. Savoie’s father, Scott, grew up playing and also trained Matthew and his older brother, Carterwho was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (No. 100) of the 2020 NHL Draft. He and Carter played on a small track in the basement of their home in St. Albert, Alberta, each trying to get one advantage over the other.
“On the ice, on the bench, he wants to be the guy,” said James Patrick, Savoie’s coach with Winnipeg and a veteran of 1,280 NHL games, including 345 with the Sabers. “He wants to play when the chips are down, he wants to play in all situations.”
The WHL “found a way to make it work”, according to Patrick, for Savoie to play in the league at age 15, allowing him up to 34 games; the league said he gave her “special permission” to play. Savoie had seven assists in 22 games for Winnipeg before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a halt.
“I think going through that experience at such a young age… I think it was huge for my development and as a person,” Savoie said.
It did not go unnoticed. saber center Peyton Krebs he was Winnipeg’s captain at the time and said he was “excited” when Buffalo drafted him.
“He was special at that age, and you could see it,” Krebs said. “He’s a grown guy. He’s an amazing friend and an amazing teammate. He goes the extra mile. You talk to anyone, they have a lot of great things to say about Matt.”
Krebs played a key role in Savoie becoming a WHL teammate. Savoie was deciding between following his brother to the University of Denver or playing a junior major after Winnipeg selected him with the first pick in the WHL Bantam Draft. Krebs, himself a No. 1 pick, stepped up.
“It was huge for me to see a guy go through that experience, learn a little bit from him,” Savoie said. “He’s a tremendous leader, a tremendous person. He’s really focused on the track, he’s got good habits, so I think he’s a guy that I can learn a lot from and continue to build a good relationship with.”
Savoie also has connections with Sabers forward Zemgus Girgensons, who drafted Savoie to play for the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque in 2020-21 when uncertainty surrounded the WHL season due to the pandemic. Girgensons is an alumnus and co-owner of the team.
“It’s quite a coincidence,” Savoie said. “But you know, just seeing those familiar faces in the same organization as part of those guys, it’s been a blessing.”