2024 Edmonton Oilers Prospects
#2 – Sam O‘Reilly
Previously: Not Ranked
It is not unusual for any NHL team in contention for the Stanley Cup to be trading prospects for more mature assets.
They seek out players that an organization feels can help the club get over the top now, versus two to four years from now. The Edmonton Oilers have been no different, and in my view correctly so.
But the good organizations also understand that the longer that prospect cupboard remains bare, the longer it can take a team to build its bank account back up again after a club’s prime contending years are past.
That is almost surely the approach Oilers CEO and then acting General Manager Jeff Jackson had in mind at the 2024 NHL Draft. He sent a conditional first round pick to the Philadelphia Flyer in either 2025 or 2026. That enabled the Oilers to move up to thirty-first overall (the final pick in Round One) and select 18-year-old Sam O’Reilly of the OHL’s London Knights.
Boom. O’Reilly instantly became one of the Edmonton Oilers very best prospects whereas a day earlier, those ranks appeared thin. And according to Jackson, they had O’Reilly ranked “quite a bit higher than where he went”. He listened to his scouts and pulled the trigger.
So, as Sam O’Reilly prepares for his first appearance at Edmonton Oilers prospect camp in Penticton this week, we at The Cult of Hockey have the opportunity to drill down into where this young man came from and where he may be headed…in both the short and the long term.
The 6-foot, 185-pound right-shot forward out of Toronto has just finished his first full season in the OHL. In 68 games for the London Knights O’Reilly registered 20-36-56 in 68 games. He also added 34 penalty minutes and an eye-opening Plus-32 rating. The rookie’s strong performance continued through the playoffs and right into the Memorial Cup Final. O’Reilly started out life as a Defenceman but first moved to wing and then center for much of last season. He went 48.5% on the dot. Not bad for a rookie.
So, those are the numbers. But what did the scouts see in O’Reilly that led the Oilers to move up and nab the kid?
Elite Prospects:
-“A relentless shutdown defensive center with physicality, details, and a clever quick touch passing game. Moments where he is not perfectly positioned are rare, and his endless work rate allows him to impact plays many can’t.
Dobber Prospects:
-“Incredibly talented two-way center with solid playmaking tools. Skating needs work, but could develop into a third line, penalty killing specialist”.
Prospects by Sports Illustrated:
-“Packs blazing speed and the ability to score with a heavy shot”, “dangerous forechecker and back-checker” as well as “great on-ice vision”.
And while not a scouting report, per se, this from London’s associate General Manager Rob Simpson:
-“He’s a little bit of throwback to me because he does a lot of little things on the ice that are hard to find. He drives the net extremely hard, can tip pucks, screen goalies. He’s physical all over the ice and he can play a 200-foot game”.
In terms of focus for the prospect, it does seem to be his skating which has room to grow. In both watching him a bit and reading what the scouts have to say, it is O’Reilly’s boots right out of the gate that need to take a stride forward. Those first two or three steps become so vital the more competitive your surroundings.
As fascinating of a prospect as O’Reilly sure is, it is unlikely that he can crack the regular season roster of a stacked Oilers team just back from a berth in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Thus, his only other option under the CBA would be to return to London as a 19-year-old. Not so bad from a development standpoint. The Knights are favored to challenge again this season. O’Reilly would be in even more critical situations where he would have the chance to gain experience and spread his wings. In his first two pre-season games for London, O’Reilly had two points in the opener and was 1-3-4 on Saturday before winning that match with the shoot-out marker. Thanks to valued Cult of Hockey guest contributor Ira Cooper (OriginalPouzar) @coopsie for the eyes on those two games.
Expectations for 2024-25:
-All eyes will be on this kid at prospect camp. Even a decent showing will get him an invite to regular camp. But with a great showing he would likely earn an exhibition game (or, if he lights it up, maybe even two). But then back to London he will go to build his game with an eye toward 2025-26. With Edmonton loaded down with pricey contracts, players like O’Reilly on their ELC’s will start to get a more critical look by next Fall.
Does O’Reilly project as a superstar? Perhaps not. But on a club already flush with those, a complimentary forward (third line center?) like O’Reilly on a budget friendly ELC?
That may eventually be just what Lord Stanley ordered.
Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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