TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward Sam O’Reilly from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Isaac Howard, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
O’Reilly, 19, skated in 62 regular season games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League last season, recording 28 goals and 71 points with a plus-56 rating, ranking fourth for goals, third for points and second for plus/minus among all London skaters. The Toronto, Ontario, native proceeded to play in 17 games during the OHL Playoffs, logging seven goals and 22 points with a plus-24 rating to help the Knights defeat the Oshawa Generals in five games and win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions for a second-straight season. O’Reilly’s 22 postseason points and plus-24 rating both ranked third among all London skaters.
Following the OHL Playoffs, O’Reilly played a key role in the Knights winning the organization’s third Memorial Cup, skating in five games and recording two goals and five points, including the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the championship game. Over the past two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward has appeared in 130 regular season games with London, accruing 48 goals and 127 points with a plus-88 rating and 11 power-play tallies. A two-time OHL champion, O’Reilly skated in 33 postseason contests over the past two seasons, registering 12 goals and 34 points with a plus-26 rating.
O’Reilly was originally drafted by the Oilers in the first round, 32nd overall, of the 2024 NHL Draft.
