Sam O'Reilly earning extended look at Oilers training camp
According to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Oilers top prospect Sam O'Reilly has earned an extended look by Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff.
Knoblauch told the media that he feels O'Reilly has handled camp rather well and has not looked overwhelmed by what has been asked of him. Knoblauch has penciled in O'Reilly for either the game on Saturday which the Oilers will face off against the Seattle Kraken or on Monday when the Oilers will face off against the Vancouver Canucks.
O'Reilly was the last pick of the first round in 2024 as the Oilers had traded for this pick from the Philadelphia Flyers. According to eliteprospects.com, the 18-year-old centre who stands at six foot one and 183 lbs is a relentless shutdown defensive centre who has a high hockey IQ and a degree of physicality to his game.
It's widely expected that O'Reilly will head back to the London Knights as he had a successful season with the Knights last year. During last year's campaign, he played 68 games, scoring 20 goals with 36 assists for 56 points and had 34 penalty minutes. He also had 12 points in 16 games during the playoffs and won the OHL championship.
Knoblauch has been running his first official camp as a head coach in the NHL after being hired by the Oilers in November of last year. With the moves the Oilers have done over the past several months including several trades which involved O'Reilly, acquiring Matthew Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres and overseeing other prospects like Beau Akey and Raphael Lavoie, Knoblauch is getting a good understanding of what he has in his minor system.
All eyes will be on Saturday's game when the team faces off against the Kraken and perhaps another look at O'Reilly.
Source: Eliteprospects.com
| POLL | ||
Will Oilers prospect Sam O'Reilly make the team this year? | ||
| Yes - he appears ready | 14 | 23.3 % |
| No - Send him back to London, plenty of time | 46 | 76.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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