Oilers' Forward Prospect Is Heating Up
The latest first-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers is finding his footing.
Perry Nelson-Imagn Images - Oilers' Forward Prospect Is Heating UpEDMONTON -- It pays to be lucky.
But also, sometimes you have to make your own luck. That's exactly what the Edmonton Oilers did when they traded into the first round this past entry draft to select the London Knights center, Sam O'Reilly.
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After a strong training camp, he returned to the OHL to cement his skills as a strong two-way pivot. His strong defensive game is a given, but now his offense has been heating up in a big way.
The young center has five goals in his past five games. Three of those tallies have come on the powerplay. In his last game, he recorded two goals with the man advantage.
One was a great wrist shot from the slot off of an excellent feed from his teammate, while the other was a Joe-Pavelski-esque tip in front of the net.
O'Reilly is up to 20 points in 24 games, giving him a 0.83 points-per-game pace. Last year, he scored at nearly the same pace (0.82) and finished the year with 20 goals, 36 assists, and 56 points in 68 games.
He's been a threat on both special teams. In addition to his three powerplay goals, he also has two shorthanded goals. One of those goals has also come in the past five contests.
The young pivot also has 18 shots in his last five games, 75 over the entire season. He's averaging over half of a shot more per game this year (3.12) compared to last year (2.42).
The Oilers have a very interesting player. Fans should keep a keen eye on him as he continues to develop this season.
Let's see just how lucky O'Reilly and the Oilers are.
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