Oilers first round draft pick misses out on major event

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Liam McCormick
August 5, 2024 (7:47 PM)

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Team Canada has revealed their rosters for the National Junior Summer Showcase roster, and the Oilers most recent first round pick will miss out of the event.

Forward Sam O'Reilly was not selected to the team. He received some consideration, but was believed to be a long shot to make the roster this year.

The Oilers made some shockwaves when they traded for the last first round pick in this year's draft to select Sam O'Reilly, who many scouts had projected to fall later in the second round. O'Reilly hasn't produced any lofty offensive numbers at the Junior level, but the Oilers believe in his ability to become an NHLer and play a 200 foot game.

»The intangibles, what he brings. We like his size, we like his drive, an extremely competitive kid. 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.»
- Rick Pracey, Oilers scout

O'Reilly scored 20 goals and 56 points in 68 games with the London Knights last year, but mostly played third line minutes and didn't receive primary powerplay time. By scouting reports he elevated his game and showed his compete level in the playoffs, but still it didn't translate to higher scoring totals. If he can show a marked improvement next season in junior with increased opportunity, his stock as a prospect may skyrocket.

The Oilers traded a conditional first round draft pick for the draft pick to select O'Reilly, and they'll be sending a pick in either 2025 or 2026 for the Philadelphia Flyers. Interestingly enough, the draft pick rights to O'Reilly were also involved in the trade that sent Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers.

Given that it was a surprise that the Oilers traded up to acquire O'Reilly, it may not be a shock that he missed out on Team Canada roster this summer. However he's only 18 years old, and if he can take another step forward in the next year, he could be eying an Oilers roster spot soon.

Source: OilersAfterDark on X