Oilers prospect opens up after taking a year off hockey

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Finnegan Frost
September 22, 2024 (4:01 PM)

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Edmonton Oilers prospect Noah Philp finally opens up to the media after taking a one year hiatus from the game of hockey,

Noah Philp is living proof that sometimes there's more to life than just hockey. Like any kid growing up loving the game, the ultimate dream is to play in the NHL. But last year, Philp had to make arguably the hardest decision of his life.

As per the NHL, When Philp felt like external factors were detracting from his ability to enjoy every second he spent on the ice during his rookie pro season in '22-23, he knew deep down that he needed to step away from the game and focus on life away from the rink, so that's exactly what he did.

«The best I can answer is that I felt like I needed to step away, and it was a decision just for me and it was just a gut feeling,» Philp said.

The centre followed his intuition and took a one-year hiatus from hockey during the �23-24 season, electing not to re-sign with the Oilers after finishing with the second-most goals (19) and third-highest points (37) in 70 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors the previous campaign.

Recently in an interview, Philp spoke about what the year off looked like for him, and how he feels about being back in the world of hockey:

"It just gave me a different look," Philp said of his hiatus from hockey. "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. 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.

"It feels fresh to me and it feels really great to be back."

Philp will be looking to make some noise during the Oilers preseason. He was one of the leading scorers for the Bakersfield Condors in 22-23, and will hopefully pick up right where he left off.

source: NHL
BLOG: Philp resolute in return to hockey following one-year hiatus