Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O'Reilly's season keeps looking better and better as it continues.
Not only is the 20-year-old playing for the Ontario Hockey League championship with the Kitchener Rangers, but he was also named the league’s most outstanding player, as he was named the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy earlier this week.
O’Reilly’s offensive numbers on their own weren’t the best in the OHL, as he finished 21st in points with 71 in 56 games. Even when sorted by point-per-game pace, he still comes 18th in the league. But his offensive production combined with his defensive skill set and physicality make him a dangerous player on every inch of the ice.
The Lightning acquired O’Reilly, the 32nd-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, from the Edmonton Oilers over the summer in exchange for 2025 Hobey Baker Trophy winner Isaac Howard, who made his NHL debut this season for Edmonton.
If O’Reilly and the Rangers are able to build on their current 2-0 series lead over the Barrie Colts and win the OHL Championship, they’ll participate in this year’s iteration of the Memorial Cup later this month in Kelowna, British Columbia. As a back-to-back OHL Champion and reigning Memorial Cup champion from his time with the London Knights, O’Reilly has experienced quite a bit of success already in his career.