June 29, 2024 by Eric Friesen

Heading into the 2024 NHL Draft, it looked like the Edmonton Oilers would go without a first-round pick in consecutive years for the first time in franchise history.

The Oilers traded their first-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick in a three-team trade also involving the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6. However, as the opening night of draft weekend began to wind down, the Oilers dealt a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The conditional pick is top-12 protected in 2025 and unprotected if it transfers to 2026.

With their first-round pick (32nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected centre Sam O’Reilly from the London Knights of the OHL. It marked the first time the Oilers chose an OHL player in the first-round since Evan Bouchard from the Knights at 10th overall in 2018. Additionally, O’Reilly was the 12th Knights player ever drafted by the Oilers, which is the most from any CHL team in franchise history.

Scouting Reports

“He has good game habits, is hard to play against and plays with some bite while playing within the rules. He has very good offensive hockey sense and puck skills, is hard to contain down low and gaining more confidence offensively as the season progresses. O’Reilly can play the fast/smart game in traffic and small areas and has all the tools in his kit to contribute offensively.” – CHL Content Manager Matt Tidcombe (January 22, 2024)

“He brings a consistent physical element. He shoots the puck well. He drives the net. He has enough skill and protects the puck well enough to be a really solid complementary piece at the NHL level.” – Director of Scouting for McKeen’s Hockey Brock Otten (January 23, 2024)

“He’s the main reason why we really didn’t do that much at the OHL trade deadline, because we felt he was ready to step in and play a key role in our top nine forwards. The nice thing that Sam brings is he’s a little bit of a 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.” – Associate General Manager of the London Knights Rob Simpson (March 15, 2024)

A prospect on the rise

After being selected 37th overall by the Knights in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, O’Reilly tied for the league lead in goals (26) and finished second in the league in assists (47) and second in points (63) in 35 games with the London Nationals in the Great Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) in 2022-23. He also appeared in five contests with the Knights that season.

Playing on a stacked junior club with championship aspirations, O’Reilly started his OHL career a bottom-six penalty killer with the Knights. A rising prospect throughout the season, O’Reilly saw increased minutes and offensive production down the stretch drive and into the playoffs. O’Reilly tallied 20 goals and 56 points in 68 games as a rookie in 2023-24, including 38 points in his final 41 games.

Toronto, Ontario native finished third in goals, second in assists, and third in points among OHL rookies, and was named to the 2023-24 OHL Second All-Rookie Team. O’Reilly led all OHL rookies with 12 points in 16 games in the 2024 playoffs. The 18-year-old helped the Knights win the 2024 OHL championship and reach the 2024 Memorial Cup final. He added four points in four games in the Memorial Cup.

Ranked No. 24 among North American skaters, O’Reilly played for Team White in the 2024 CHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, New Brunswick. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound centre patterns his game after Nazem Kadri because of his combination of high-end skills and agitation. O’Reilly has strong two-way instincts, creative hands, excellent positional awareness, a heavy shot and a ton of physicality.