It’s not too often that you’ll see two rivals execute a blockbuster deal with one another. However, the London Knights were looking to maximize their return for two of their champions, and the Kitchener Rangers swooped in with a staggering offer. 

While Knights captain Sam O’Reilly was away winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship, rumors had circulated that the two-time OHL champion was available for the right price. Expectations were that he would be moved once the tournament ended, and the trade call went through on Wednesday morning. 

The Rangers have made one of the biggest trades of the OHL season, acquiring O’Reilly and LA Kings prospect Jared Woolley in exchange for draft-eligible defenseman Jacob Xu and 10 draft picks.

Below are the full trade details:

Kitchener Rangers Receive:

C, Sam O’Reilly (2006) - 28GP, 12G, 16A, 28PTS
LHD, Jared Woolley (2006) - 37GP, 10G, 15A, 25PTS

London Knights Receive:

LHD, Jacob Xu (2008) - 31GP, 1G, 6A, 7PTS
2026 2nd round pick (GUE)
2029 2nd round pick
2028 3rd round pick (BRAM)
2028 3rd round pick (PBO)
2026 4th round pick (PBO)
2027 4th round pick (BRAM)
2028 5th round pick
2029 5th round pick
2028 6th round pick
2029 6th round pick

To win a championship, at any level, you need a top-line centerman who plays with snarl, doesn’t cheat the game for offense, can be used in any situation, and ultimately, produces offense when games tighten up. That’s O’Reilly’s game in a nutshell. 

One of the brightest spots on Team Canada’s roster this year at the World Juniors was the play from the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect. Of course, his London bench boss, Dale Hunter, was going to utilize him to kill penalties and take important defensive zone faceoffs, but it was warranted. O’Reilly was lights-out good for Canada and exceeded expectations. 

O’Reilly was named one of Canada’s top three players of the tournament, voted on by Canada’s management team. Now, he brings his winning pedigree to Kitchener so that the team and fans can rejoice in the franchise's first OHL championship since 2008. 

“Making trades like this never guarantees anything, but we wanted to put ourselves in the best position this year. We feel Sam and Jared were the two top players on the trade market this year. They both bring experience and a style of play that will help our group immensely,” said Kitchener Rangers GM Mike McKenzie.

Woolley brings that suffocating 6-foot-5 size to the defensive end. He possesses an active stick and the physical attitude to stop opponents in their tracks. His offensive development has also come a long way. The Kings’ prospect has set a career-high in goals with 10 just 37 games into the season, and has shown more willingness to activate in his team’s attack when space is made available. 

Kitchener was in the running to host the 2027 Memorial Cup tournament. They lost their bid to the Guelph Storm, which completely shifts Mike McKenzie’s approach to the trade deadline this season. 

“The last couple years, we have had really good teams and added around the edges to try and improve our team at the deadline with the idea of saving our assets for 2027. With the Memorial Cup decision going the way it did, it gave us flexibility to be more aggressive this year and target top players to try and put us over the top. We did so in a way we are still able to pick in the first three rounds at this year's OHL priority selection, which is very important to us too.”

In a separate transaction, related to this deal, the Rangers traded away the rights to their first-round pick from 2025, Kane Barch, to London, while swapping 15th-round draft picks in 2027. 

This move gives Kitchener a compensation pick in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection. Barch, the son of Niagara IceDogs Head Coach Krys Barch, currently plays for the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). His first year in the program hasn’t gone the way he would’ve hoped, and it wouldn’t at all be surprising if he made the switch to the OHL next season. 

In Sam O’Reilly, Kitchener adds the OHL’s gold standard for 200-foot centers, while Jared Woolley provides the championship-winning size and snarl required to navigate the Western Conference gauntlet. London walks away with a massive haul of future assets and the rights to first-rounder Kane Barch, Kitchener has effectively pushed every chip into the middle.

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