Noah Philp has carved out a role in the Edmonton Oilers lineup, and understanding where he fits requires looking at what this team actually needs from its bottom six. The Oilers have elite talent at the top—McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins—but championship teams are built on depth that can handle defensive responsibilities, win faceoffs, and not get caved in against top competition. That's where Philp fits.
The 27-year-old from Canmore, Alberta, isn't competing for top-six minutes. He's not going to play ahead of McDavid or Draisaitl down the middle. What he is competing for is fourth-line center duties and time on the penalty-kill, and right now, he's showing he belongs in that conversation.
Philp is 6'3", 198 pounds, and plays a right-shot center position. Those attributes alone make him valuable. The Oilers need size down the middle. They need centers who can win key faceoffs in defensive situations. They need players who can kill penalties without getting hemmed in their own zone. Philp checks all those boxes, and he's doing it while contributing offensively when opportunities present themselves.
He's scored goals in back-to-back games recently, showing he's not just a defensive specialist who can't contribute on the scoresheet. But his real value is what he brings in the 200-foot game. His faceoff percentage sits around 48-50% and his size allows him to win battles against the boards and protect the puck in ways smaller players can't. His defensive awareness keeps him from being a liability when matched against better opponents.
The reality of the Oilers' lineup is that bottom-six minutes aren't guaranteed for anyone. When Zach Hyman returns from injury, the forward group gets even more crowded. Competition for ice time intensifies. Players like Philp need to prove every night that they deserve to be in the lineup over other options. So far, he's done enough to stay in the conversation.
And here's what really needs to be understood: Philp is not the all-speed-and-skill bottom-six forward. He's not going to beat defenders with pure speed or make highlight-reel plays. What he offers is size, defensive responsibility, and the ability to play a simple, effective game that doesn't hurt the team. That's valuable on a roster that sometimes leans too heavily on offence at the expense of structure.
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His role right now is fourth-line center and penalty killer with an opportunity to earn more if he keeps producing. That's realistic given the roster competition and the team's expected potential. The Oilers need players who can step into games against quality opponents and not be a weakness that gets exploited. Philp has shown flashes of being that player, though consistency remains the challenge.
Now here's what makes Philp's story particularly compelling: his path to this role was anything but conventional. He played in the WHL with the Kootenay Ice and Seattle Thunderbirds but went undrafted. He got an amateur tryout with Calgary's AHL affiliate but wasn't signed. Instead, he went to the University of Alberta and dominated with the Golden Bears, putting up 20 goals and 18 assists in just 36 games over two seasons.
That production earned him a contract with the Oilers in April 2022. His first professional season in 2022-23 with Bakersfield was solid—19 goals and 18 assists in 70 games. The Oilers offered him a two-year extension. Then, in June 2023, Philp retired from hockey for personal reasons at age 24.
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He spent the entire 2023-24 season away from the game. He travelled the world, gained perspective, and figured out what mattered to him.
"I just had a gut feeling to step away from hockey for a little while, and I didn't know how long that would be," Philp explained. "I did that and I went and saw different parts of the world, did some travelling, and then came home and sort of decided it was ready to get back into it."
"I hadn't stepped on the ice, obviously, in a while, and I was just kind of thinking, 'I wonder if I still got it.' I actually felt way better than I thought. That was around the time when I thought, 'I think I could do this again.' That I really wanted to," he said.
The Oilers re-signed him in July 2024, and Philp made his NHL debut on October 31, 2024, against Nashville at the age of 26, becoming the 27th player in franchise history to debut with Edmonton at that age or older. He recorded his first career assist on a Corey Perry goal and looked comfortable despite the long layoff.
That year away from hockey makes his current role even more impressive. Philp isn't just fighting for a roster spot—he's doing it after essentially taking a gap year from the sport. The fact that he's competitive at the NHL level after that much time away speaks to his hockey sense and work ethic.
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His older brother Luke followed a similar path—WHL, undrafted, University of Alberta—and played three NHL games with Chicago before settling into an AHL career. Noah is determined to stick around longer, and his recent performances suggest he might.
The realistic expectation for Philp is fourth-line center and penalty killer who can provide occasional offense. He's probably not a 40-point player at this level. More likely, he finishes with 5-10 goals and 15-20 points if he plays 60-70 games. But if he wins faceoffs, kills penalties effectively, and plays responsible defensive hockey, that's exactly what the Oilers need from that role.
Where Noah Philp fits in the Oilers lineup is becoming clearer: he's a fourth-line center who brings size, defensive responsibility, and penalty-killing ability to a team that needs all three. His path to get here was unconventional—retirement, a year away, a comeback—but that doesn't change what he brings to the lineup right now. The Oilers need depth centers who don't hurt them when they're on the ice. Philp has shown he can be that player, and that's valuable on a team trying to win a Stanley Cup.
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