NHL Draft profiles: O'Reilly a 'trench work' forward

This is the eighth story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential second-round picks for the Penguins at 44th and 46th overall.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sam O'Reilly described his game as "trench work." The 18-year-old forward from the OHL's London Knights, prides himself in being "a 200-foot reliable player" first and foremost.

"I like to work below the hash marks and work around the net in the gritty areas," O'Reilly told me at the NHL's Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right hand shot models his game after players like Nazem Kadri and Matthew Tkachuk, admiring the way they're able to get under the skin of opponents.

It's O'Reilly's defensive play that's his biggest strength, and that's not too surprising. After all, he's only been a forward for the last three years.

O'Reilly grew up playing defense before making the move to forward three seasons ago in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He transitioned to right wing, and started as a right wing during his first taste of OHL action, a five-game stint with the Knights in the 2022-23 season. This year, O'Reilly's first full season in the OHL, he made the move to center.

It's safe to say the transition has gone well. O'Reilly led all OHL rookies with 56 points (20 goals, 36 assists), 11 power-play points (four goals) and three short-handed points (two goals, one assist) in 68 games.

He fared pretty well in draws for a first-year center too, winning 48.5%. Obviously that's slightly less than half, but given the circumstances, that's not a bad place to start.

Knights associate general manager Rob Simpson told NHL.com during the season that O'Reilly's rise over the course of the season in his role was one of the major reasons why the Knights didn't feel a need to be overly active at the OHL's trade deadline.

"We felt he was ready to step in and play a key role in our top nine forwards," Simpson said. "The nice thing that Sam brings is he's a little bit of a throwback to me because he does a lot of little things on the ice that are hard to find. He drives the net extremely hard, can tip pucks, screen goalies. He's physical all over the ice and he can play a 200-foot game."

With O'Reilly being somewhat of a late bloomer and only being a first-year player in the OHL this season, he was initially ranked fairly low for this summer's draft. NHL Central Scouting's rankings at the beginning of the season labeled him a 'C' prospect, meaning that he was a likely candidate for the fourth or fifth rounds. By midseason he was ranked the 40th-best North American skater by Central Scouting, and by mid-April he had risen to the 24th-best North American skater.

O'Reilly surely helped his stock in London's playoff run. He scored five goals and seven assists in 16 games as the Knights went on to win the OHL championship, and he scored a goal and three assists in four Memorial Cup games as London lost in the final game to Saginaw. His one goal of the tournament was one for the highlight reels:

"I think just playing a consistent game," O'Reilly told me of what led to his postseason success. "I want to be a guy who can be relied upon in different situations, and keep building my coaches trust."

Consensus seems to have O'Reilly being drafted in the early- to mid-second round now, making him a candidate for the Penguins' picks at 44th or 46th overall in the second round. O'Reilly met with 29 teams at the combine, and confirmed that the Penguins were one of those teams interested enough to interview him.

Regardless of when O'Reilly hears his name called, he's almost surely heading back to junior for next season. The NHL-CHL transfer agreement keeps CHL-eligible players out of the minor leagues until their 20-year-old season (or after their fourth CHL season), making their options either the NHL full-time or heading back to junior. With O'Reilly not ready for full-time NHL duty, he'll head back to junior for likely two more years.

O'Reilly said that his biggest focus this summer is going to be on improving his skating -- more specifically, his acceleration and first three steps. Then, looking ahead to next season, his focus is on repeating as OHL champions with the Knights and being a factor.

"We're going to be going for it again," he said. "I'm going to be in more situations, have a big role on the team and hope to contribute."