The Edmonton Oilers caught everyone by surprise on night one of the NHL draft, trading up to the final pick in the first round.
It cost them a conditional first-round pick in 2025, one that carries protection if the Oilers are among the 12 worst teams in the league.
The Oilers drafted right-shot forward Sam O’Reilly from the London Knights, an 18-year-old who scored 20 goals and 56 points in 68 games. It’s not often that forwards who score under a point-per-game in Major Junior are all that much to write home about, but the Oilers are following a method the Toronto Maple Leafs did in the 2023 draft.
Toronto drafted one of O’Reilly’s teammates, Easton Cowan, and the similarities are striking. They both put up nearly identical OHL numbers in their draft year and both are smaller forwards who played a backseat role on a deep Knights team. Most notably, however, Cowan and O’Reilly spent the year before being draft-eligible in the Jr. A ranks.
While he scored more than Cowan in his draft season, he also had stronger production in their respective Jr. A seasons, as well. Cowan scored 11 goals and 34 points in 24 GOJHL games, while O’Reilly scored 26 goals and 63 points in 35 games.
When it came to Cowan, the Leafs opted to sign him to an entry-level deal not long after the draft. His deal was signed on Aug. 11, 2023, as noted by PuckPedia, and was a standard entry-level deal. Cowan’s first year slid, and with him slated to return to the OHL this season, his deal can do so again this season.
Cowan had an excellent draft-plus-one season with London this year, racking up 34 goals and 96 points in 54 games as he was named the Ontario Hockey League’s Most Outstanding Player, as well as the playoff MVP as the Knights won the OHL championship. A big reason for his breakout performance was increased roles and responsibilities with the team as older players aged out, something that is expected to happen this year with O’Reilly.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis describes O’Reilly as a “smart, two-way center” who is “toolsy, which is important for a player his age,” adding the 6’1, 183 lbs. forward was one of the biggest movers in rankings ahead of the draft.
That fits the bill of what the Oilers are hoping he can turn into in the NHL, but well before that, they’re hoping he’s going to see an offensive breakout similar to that of Cowan this season.
And if history shows itself, then O’Reilly should be in for a big season with the Knights.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
