Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Sam O'Reilly has been dominant since being traded from the London Knights to the Kitchener Rangers in multiple ways.
Known mostly for his defensive responsibility, O'Reilly's offensive numbers in the Ontario Hockey League have never been jaw-dropping to this point. He always hovered around, or slightly over, a point-per-game pace with the London Knights.
O'Reilly was a key part of their OHL and Memorial Cup championship runs, but Denver Barkey, Easton Cowan, and Sam Dickinson were typically their primary scoring options. O'Reilly put up a considerable number of points, but he was often praised for his defensive responsibility and all-around ability.
He was traded to the Kitchener Rangers in early January though, and now he's been putting up points at much higher rate. The Rangers acquired O'Reilly and defenseman Jared Woolley from the Knights in exchange for 10 draft picks in an attempt to gear up for a Memorial Cup run of their own.
Since then, O'Reilly has scored 17 goals, putting him up to a career-high 29 goals overall this season. He's also added 26 assists for a total of 43 points in 28 games as a member of the Rangers. Split between London and Kitchener, he's up to 71 total points in 56 games which tied his total from last season in six less games played.
O'Reilly's offensive success has continued into the playoffs as well. The Rangers played their first playoff game of the season on Friday against the Saginaw Spirit. O'Reilly opened up the scoring halfway through the first period. He added another goal and an assist over the course of the night.