The Edmonton Oilers are still taking care of business off the court as they attempt to duplicate the “trick” of starting the season slowly from the previous season. Earlier this week, a significant signing was made.
Sam O’Reilly has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract, the organization announced on their official website. The financial terms were not published, as is typically the case with these kinds of transactions.
The fact that the Oilers moved up in the 2024 draft to choose O’Reilly shows how highly they value him. In exchange for their own first-round selection in 2025 or 2026 (subject to certain restrictions), they have to purchase the Philadelphia Flyers’ first-round pick for this season.
Some observers were a little taken aback by the Oilers’ choice to position themselves to choose the 18-year-old at number 32 overall. But the fact that they liked him enough to act in that way is all that mattered.
During the preseason, O’Reilly’s stock rises.
In keeping with this, O’Reilly began to defend the choice with a strong performance during training camp. After that, he played in four Oilers preseason games, scoring a spectacular goal on his debut.
Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the Oilers at the time, was quite impressed with what he saw from the Toronto, Ontario native. According to the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson, Knoblauch stated:
“Going from a junior to an NHL camp for the first time is a significant leap, and we gave him a lot of responsibility, like playing with more offensive guys or in a checking position. He handled everything we gave him effectively, including some power play time and penalty-kill work. He demonstrated why our scouts had faith in him.
London’s current average
O’Reilly hasn’t exactly ignited the world since rejoining the Knights in the OHL. With five points (two goals and three assists) after seven games, he is tied for third-worst on the club with a rating of -3.
To be fair, though, it’s still early, since the Knights’ 5-4-0 record at the time of writing shows that the majority of their players are still figuring things out. To put things in perspective, O’Reilly finished the previous season with 68 points (25 goals and 43 assists) and a +34 rating in 84 regular season and playoff games.
Even though O’Reilly is predicted to be one of their two centers in the bottom six, the Oilers are enthusiastic about what he may provide to the team in the future. As we already stated,
Finally, regarding the right-shot forward’s skill level, keep in mind that he is the Oilers’ second-best prospect overall. Fans would be wise to monitor his development over the next few years, as his future is bright. He was described as a solid two-way player with a high hockey IQ, exceptional passing abilities, and an outstanding work ethic in his pre-draft scouting report.
