This fall, 2024 first-round selection Sam O’Reilly impressed the Edmonton Oilers with his strong play. The teenage centre showed a range of skills, an ability to keep up, and the kind of offensive ability that may eventually allow him to play on an NHL skill line.
During the Penticton Young Stars tournament O’Reilly played well and team management said all the things fans are used to hearing about top picks.
O’Reilly went off the normal script by hanging around main camp and getting four preseason games worth of NHL experience.
He scored a goal, played a lot (as of Wednesday morning, Natural Stat Trick has him leading all Edmonton forwards in total time on ice at five-on-five) and drew a penalty while at even strength.
The speed and rugged play at the NHL level did not phase him. He drew a penalty. He saw time on the power play and the penalty kill.
The only down arrows came in the faceoff circle (19 won and 29 lost at five-on-five) and giveaways (six total in the four games at five-on-five).
O’Reilly finally found his way back to junior, but not before impressing Oilers management.
“His level has gotten higher,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said during camp. “Usually guys fade, especially those younger players, but he has not faded. He’s just continued to grow.”
The good news for O’Reilly is almost unlimited now. He stayed long enough to impress and he was sent back to junior (OHL London Knights) before the organization allowed itself to contemplate something that could run counter to player development.
Most encouraging, O’Reilly’s skills and the position he plays represent a perfect fit for Edmonton’s needs in the future.
Strength at centre
It’s folly to suggest the Oilers are weak at centre. The team’s best players are Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two elite pivots who have dominated NHL awards for several years running.
The team traded for veteran Adam Henrique at the deadline, then re-signed him in the offseason to play No. 3 centre for the next couple of seasons.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has great utility as well.
The Oilers are stronger at centre than any NHL team at any position.
The one area that could use help? A right-handed centre with a range of skills. All of McDavid, Draisaitl, Henrique and Nugent-Hopkins are left-handed.
Right-shot centre
Management stacked and racked three righty centres for training camp.
Derek Ryan is the incumbent, likely to make the team but fading at 37 with a pronounced disadvantage in foot speed compared to the rest of the NHL.
Noah Philp has never played in the NHL and missed all of last season. He was something of an unknown entering training camp but has shown well and has a legit shot at making the opening-night lineup.
Then there’s O’Reilly.
The Oilers chose him in the first round of the 2024 draft because he’s a perfect fit for the future.
The signing of Draisaitl this summer, and likely McDavid next summer, means the top two spots at centre should be filled through the end of the decade and beyond.
Ryan and Philp may be able to bridge the gap between today and the moment when O’Reilly is ready for that No. 3 or No. 4 centre role down the line.
Trade?
O’Reilly is a quality prospect with a complete range of skills. In a summer look at the player, draft experts delivered strong verbal about what his future might look like in Edmonton.
Scott Wheeler: “O’Reilly does the little things really well, whether that’s making good little plays off the wall, stick lifts, his board work offensively, spinning off a check to create a little bit of space to funnel a play to the slot, or defending with detail. He’s also a natural center who is good in the faceoff circle and a plus-level skater and athlete. He projects as a potential well-rounded, complementary pro.”
Corey Pronman: “He’s a two-way center. He competes hard and has physicality. I’ve seen quicker skaters, but he can escape pressure and has good enough quickness for the NHL level. O’Reilly has quality skill and vision and can create chances.”
The Oilers’ prospect depth chart at centre isn’t strong. The list of actual NHL prospects between Philp (about to graduate to the NHL) and O’Reilly (drafted three months ago) is neither strong nor deep.
| Player | ETA | Prospect Rank |
|---|---|---|
|
2024-25 |
9 |
|
|
2024-25 |
20 |
|
|
2025-26 |
15 |
|
|
2026-27 |
17 |
|
|
2026-27 |
2 |
O’Reilly will be a sought-after player at the trade deadline, along with other top prospects Matt Savoie and Beau Akey.
He’s unlikely to be available.
O’Reilly describes his game as “trench work” and he told Taylor Haase of DK Sports Pittsburgh in June “I like to work below the hash marks and work around the net in the gritty areas. I want to be a guy who can be relied upon in different situations, and keep building my coaches’ trust.”
In the same interview, he said he modeled his game after NHL players Nazem Kadri and Matthew Tkachuk.
The Oilers under CEO Jeff Jackson and director of scouting Rick Pracey are looking for that kind of player.
As an added bonus, the analytics on O’Reilly, based on anecdotal ice-time evidence with London last season, suggest plenty of offensive potential. That was in evidence in Penticton, during the preseason and should be on display all winter in London.
It would be unfair to project O’Reilly as a possible Oilers roster player in 2025-26 but he should impress once again. In the fall of 2026, when he’s 20, Philp may have some competition at centre from the young pivot.
Every new management team makes a statement with the first selection.
Barry Fraser drafted Kevin Lowe in 1979; Kevin Prendergast selected Ales Hemsky in 2001; Stu MacGregor grabbed Jordan Eberle in the latter half of the first round in 2008; Bob Green landed Connor McDavid in 2015; Tyler Wright chose Dylan Holloway in 2020.
For Pracey and the current scouting staff, O’Reilly checked all the boxes. He plays a rugged style, brings speed, skill and determination and pushed well past expectations in his first NHL training camp.
Edmonton’s scouting staff has been under fire for years, mostly due to a lack of draft picks. That scarcity of picks is likely to continue, and talented prospects in the system will be dealt at future deadlines.
O’Reilly seems different. There’s a good chance he’ll be the next first-round selection to spend a significant amount of his career in Edmonton since Evan Bouchard.
(Photo: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)
