The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired O’Reilly from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Isaac Howard. The Lightning did well, turning a former first-round pick that could potentially go unsigned after the 2025-26 season into another former first-round pick in O’Reilly, who is exactly two years younger than Howard. Therefore, they gave themselves time to let him develop in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights. Since O’Reilly has already signed his entry-level contract, Tampa Bay will not need to worry about him going the NCAA route once his CHL career ends.

O’Reilly had a good year with the London Knights. He scored 28 goals and 71 points in 62 OHL games and was easily the Knights’ fourth-best player. While fourth-best may not be what some fans want to hear, London is consistently a CHL powerhouse and has countless alums in the NHL. On a team with Easton Cowan (TOR), Sam Dickinson (SJS), and Denver Barkey (PHI), it will always be hard to be the best player as loaded as that. O’Reilly is one of the most responsible 200-foot players in junior hockey and should have little trouble translating his skillset to the NHL one day. While he may not have top-line upside, O’Reilly is about as sure of a bet to become a third-liner as there is. He consistently makes a positive impact whenever he is on the ice, and he is always fully engaged in the play. He will likely need another year in the OHL and then potentially a year in the AHL after that, but once he is ready, he will make an impact as a penalty killer and shutdown player.

The Edmonton Oilers signed O’Reilly to a three-year entry-level contract.

With the final pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Oilers took O’Reilly 32nd overall.

February 2024O’Reilly’s game flows through his processing. Offensively, he relies on his intelligence to find small pockets of space from which to operate and often plays as F3 on forechecks to respond to sequences rather than lead them with a board battle win. Defensively, he identifies threats earlier than most, anticipates passes, and picks them off, all while keeping a mental map of his surroundings. The puck skills won’t be a hallmark of his NHL game, but if the skating improves, the skill should translate. Hadi Kalakeche