O'Reilly's intangibles sold Oilers on trading up to select forward in 1st round

EDMONTON -- To call Sam O'Reilly's offseason a whirlwind would be an understatement, to say the least.

The Edmonton Oilers weren't even on the radar of the 18-year-old center for London of the Ontario Hockey League following a season that culminated with an OHL title and a trip to the Memorial Cup Final.

After all, entering the 2024 NHL Draft, the Oilers didn't have a pick in the first round, where O'Reilly was hoping to be selected, but that didn't stop him from winding up in Edmonton last week after the Oilers traded up to get back into the first round and choose the Toronto native with the No. 32 selection.

"It's been unreal," O'Reilly said. "The first couple weeks were a bit stressful leading up to the draft, but now being here, seeing all this, being an Oiler, I couldn't be happier."

That last part about being an Oiler is the biggest thing, especially considering this roster includes centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but what kind of Oiler will O'Reilly end up being? And when?

O'Reilly (6-foot-1, 183 pounds) didn't have to wait long after being drafted to begin taking the initial steps toward answering those questions, arriving in Edmonton for the first time as one of 17 prospects reporting for an off-ice development camp at Rogers Place.

"The intangibles, what he brings. We like his size, we like his drive, an extremely competitive kid," Oilers director of amateur scouting Rick Pracey said. "We think he's inside and hard skill. We like the way he plays diligently defensively. He's on the right side of the puck, he wins face-offs, he wins stick battles, he wins takeaways, and he has offensive upside.

"He can shoot the puck, he's well-rounded, he can play wing, he can play center and grew up playing defense, so from well-rounded to versatile to compete, he's a very interesting guy."

And the Oilers weren't afraid to let him know how they felt about him, either.

"I had good talks with them during the year and seeing them trade, I kind of had a little thought in my head that I'd be going there," O'Reilly said. "I'm thankful enough that they picked me and I'm very grateful for it."

Not everyone gets to experience being a first-round NHL draft pick.

"It's obviously a cool thing to kind of say, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really mean much after the draft," O'Reilly said. "All that really matters is what you do after it and how you work toward what you need to be better at and your goals that you need to accomplish.

"And that's what I'm focusing on right now."

Outside of Rogers Place, the question is when the fans are going to get a chance to see him on the ice playing in the NHL.

"I think it's all about my development and what the Oilers here want me to do and what they think is best for me," said O'Reilly, who plans on returning to London this season after he had 56 points (20 goals, 36 assists) as a rookie. "So I'm just going to keep taking all the advice I can and do what I can do to make the jump as quick as I can."

With the Oilers' season ending after reaching the Stanley Cup Final, Rogers Place wasn't the busiest of buildings during O'Reilly's visit, but that didn't stop some members of the roster from reaching out to offer him congratulations.

"I've been fortunate enough to receive a couple texts from them, which is nice," O'Reilly said. "But I'm excited to meet them and see them in person."

If history is any indication, those interactions could come sooner rather than later for O'Reilly, who wasted no time rising through the ranks with London.

"I started out on the fourth line, didn't really think too much of it, kind of just put my head down and went to work, did what the coaches wanted me to do," he said. "The development in London is the best it gets, with Dale and Mark [Hunter] there and all the staff, so I couldn't be more grateful with being a London Knight.

"Just doing what they want me to do, I think it will all kind of turn out from there."

Time will tell just what path to the pros O'Reilly ends up taking, but for now, at least, being a first-round draft pick puts him on the right track.

"Our staff had him ranked quite a bit higher than where he went," Oilers CEO of hockey operations and interim general manager Jeff Jackson said. "Rick felt very strongly we were getting a player who fit our mold.

"And we have to get our (prospects) pipeline going."

After watching the Oilers come oh-so close to winning the Stanley Cup, falling 2-1 in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers, O'Reilly and London have some unfinished business of their own. An undefeated run through the round robin of the Memorial Cup ended in a 4-3 loss in the final to host Saginaw of the OHL.

"It wasn't the outcome we obviously wanted, but it was a fun tournament for all of us," O'Reilly said. "Obviously, not winning kind of [stinks], but it gives you extra motivation to go back and do it the next year."