The OHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ohl] currently has a trade freeze in place so their players don’t have to worry about getting dealt to a new team while they enjoy their summer and off-season training. Now, the NHL isn’t operating in the same capacity as the OHL and one of the London Knights’ [https://chl.ca/ohl-knights/] top players found out late Tuesday night that he has a new NHL team. Sam O’Reilly [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/911102/sam-o-reilly], 19, has been traded from the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers] to the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] in exchange for the 2025 Hobey Baker Winner, Isaac Howard [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/603668/isaac-howard]. It’s a one-for-one trade. Howard immediately signed his entry-level contract with his new NHL franchise, and the expectation is that he will slot into Edmonton’s top-nine forward corps next season. Howard had told Lightning management that he wasn’t going to sign with them. He was drafted in the first round, 31st overall, in the 2022 NHL draft by them. Tampa ships off the highly skilled, offensive-minded winger in return for a defensive center specialist. The Michigan State Spartan forward is more NHL-ready, but O'Reilly's playstyle, consistency, and reliability have scouts saying he has more potential to be an everyday NHLer for a longer span than Howard. O’Reilly is coming off his second year with the Knights in the OHL, winning back-to-back OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup victory. He set career highs in goals (28) and points (71), and was a +80 in 79 combined regular season and playoff games. He was the last pick of the first round (32nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Toronto, Ontario native was one of the OHL’s best defensive forwards last season. However, with Easton Cowan [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/709773/easton-cowan] and Denver Barkey [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/723026/denver-barkey] making their way to the professional ranks, O’Reilly will need to be more of a leader offensively next season in London. Also, good news for Knights fans, he has already signed his entry-level contract, making him ineligible to play in the NCAA.
