2024 NHL Draft notebook: O'Reilly excelling as strong 2-way forward in OHL

The 2024 NHL Draft will be held on June 28-29, reportedly at Sphere in Las Vegas. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile of right wing Sam O'Reilly of London of the Ontario Hockey League.

Sam O'Reilly isn't flashy, but is one of the most appreciated skaters for the way he goes about his business with London of the Ontario Hockey League.

It stems from the fact the 17-year-old right-shot center has a defensive mindset whenever he steps on the ice.

"I think playing defense growing up my whole life helped me kind of ease into playing center this year, so I think that playing center is more of a defensive-type situation," O'Reilly said. "Last year (in five games with London) I played wing and this year they started me off at center and I've been there since, so it's been good."

O'Reilly only made the adjustment to forward three years ago, moving from defenseman to right wing while playing in the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

"You can see he was a defenseman because of his instincts and how smart he is down low in his own end," said Nick Smith of NHL Central Scouting.

O'Reilly is benefiting from that experience as a rookie for London.

"If you look at the history of 17-year-old players who have earned the trust of (London coach) Dale Hunter and assistant coach Rick Steadman to play on the penalty kill, you have guys like Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), Bo Horvat (New York Islanders) and Luke Evangelista (Nashville Predators) who were able to figure out what Dale wanted defensively," London associate general manager Rob Simpson said. "They ended up playing sooner rather than later because at the NHL level, the defensive side of the puck is so important to be able to make it there to help your team win."

O'Reilly even played a few shifts at defenseman as a 16-year-old for London during part of his five-game stint in 2022-23.

"He's the main reason why we really didn't do that much at the OHL trade deadline (in January) because we felt he was ready to step in and play a key role in our top nine forwards," Simpson said. "The nice thing that Sam brings is he's a little bit of a throwback to me because he does a lot of little things on the ice that are hard to find. He drives the net extremely hard, can tip pucks, screen goalies. He's physical all over the ice and he can play a 200-foot game."

O'Reilly (6-foot-1, 186 pounds), No. 40 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, is a big fan of NHL players with an ability to get under the skin of opposing players.

"I like watching Matthew Tkachuk and Nazem Kadri for the way they play ... kind of a hard-nosed game and getting up in the face of an opponent," he said.

The Toronto native, who will turn 18 on March 30, ranks third among OHL rookies with 52 points (18 goals, 34 assists) and is tied for first with three short-handed points (two goals) in 64 games. He has 150 shots on goal and has won 48.8 percent of hs face-offs (336 for 689).

London defenseman Sam Dickinson, who is No. 7 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, said he appreciates what O'Reilly brings to the lineup.

"I think the big thing with Sam is his work ethic," Dickinson said. "The progression that he's had from last year to this year has been unbelievable. Everybody knew last year that he was going to be something special and he's been a really big piece to our team.

"He does things that not a lot of guys want to do, like going to the net, playing hard in the tough areas, and being a reliable defensive forward. It's little things like that that have kind of separated him."

O'Reilly said he understands the importance of playing a power-forward type game, since most goals are scored in the slot or tough areas of the ice.

"I have to play hard to make it to the next level," he said. "I was told that at a young age and it's kind of stuck with me as the years have gone by. I think if you play soft, you're not going to make it to the next level and move up in leagues. Playing a hard-nosed game is a big thing for scouts and for teams to see."

NCAA prospects on the radar (listed alphabetically)

Zeev Buium, D, Denver: The 18-year-old freshman, No. 4 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, is tied for first among defensemen in NCAA Division I men's hockey with 43 points (nine goals, 34 assists) and is second in points per game among defensemen (1.26) in 34 games. The second-youngest player in NCAA men's hockey will help lead Denver when it hosts Minnesota Duluth in Game 1 of the best-of-3 National Collegiate Hockey Conference quarterfinals at Magness Arena in Denver on Friday. Game 2 is Saturday.

Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University: The No. 1 skater on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American players and projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft is second in the nation with 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists), first in points per game (1.69) and tied for fourth with 11 power-play goals in 32 games as the youngest player in men's college hockey. The 17-year-old freshman has a four-game goal streak (six goals) and five-game point streak (six goals, six assists). Celebrini has won Hockey East Rookie of the Week six times, Hockey East Player of the Week twice and is the only NHL Draft-eligible player to be named to the 2023-24 Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team, voted upon by the league's 11 coaches. Boston University has won five straight and will open the Hockey East Tournament with a quarterfinal-round game against Northeastern at Agganis Arena in Boston on Saturday.

Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State: Levshunov (6-2, 208), No. 2 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, ranks eighth among NCAA defensemen with 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 34 games as a freshman. The third-youngest player in college hockey certainly will play a big role in the Big 10 Tournament for Michigan State when it faces Ohio State in the semifinal round at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on Saturday. The 18-year-old right-handed shot had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win against Wisconsin on March 1 to help Michigan State to it first regular-season conference title since winning the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season crown in 2000-01.