Raw Charge
Summary
Y’all thought we forget about this, didn’t you? We actually had these done a little while ago, but wanted to wait until there was a break in the action to post them. Congratulations, we’ve finally hit the top of the class when it comes to prospects in the Lightning system. Thank you for sticking with us, and hey, at least we actually finished the countdown in the same calendar year this time. Once we knew that Conor Geekie had dropped out of the top spot, there was little doubt as to who would take over. Sam O’Reilly’s massive final season in junior hockey propelled him to the top of the prospect list. Will he stay there now that he’s turned pro? Name Sam O’Reilly Position Center Age (as of October 1, 2026) 20 Height/Weight 6’1″, 198 lbs. Expected 2026-27 Team Syracuse Crunch Draft – Year, Round 2024, 1st (32nd) by Edmonton Previous Rankings 5th ( 2025 ) JustinG. Ranking 2 Final Rank 1 Stats: Our Thoughts: The 2025-26 season was truly a historic season for Sam O’Reilly. After showing a little flash of his skills in the Bolts prospect showcase, the right-shot center went back to junior hockey and put up a season for the ages. By the time the dust settled, the shelves in his trophy cabinet were bowing due to the weight, and O’Reilly accomplished something only three other players had done in OHL history (oddly enough, two of them have played for the Bolts). In his final season, O’Reilly won the Red Tilson Trophy for Most Outstanding Player in the regular season, the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award for OHL playoff MVP, and the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy for the Memorial Cup MVP. The other three players to do it? Former Bolts Brad Richards and Corey Perry, along with future Bolt Mitch Marner. Not only did O’Reilly win the hardware, he received praise from those who had to game plan either for him or against him. O’Reilly earned the top spot in three different categories in the annual CHL OHL Coaches’ Poll . He was named the Smartest Player, Best on Face-Offs, and Best Defensive Forward, all categories that touch the warmest of spots in his future coaches’ hearts. As much fun as it is to have prospects that are prolific goal scorers, having ones that excel on the defensive side of the puck tend to have just as much, if not more, impact on the game. Adding to the impressiveness of the on-ice play, off-ice it was a whirlwind for the Bolts’ top prospect. He began the season in London, where he put up a respectable 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 28 games. Then he played for Canada at the U20 World Championship where he recorded four goals and four assists while adding a bronze medal to his trophy cabinet. Then, in early January, he had to deal with a trade as London sent O’Reilly and defenseman Jared Wooley to Kitchener for Jacob Xu and, count ’em, ten draft picks. Gotta love CHL trades. In Kitchener, O’Reilly was everything the Rangers had hoped he would be when they made the deal as he added 43 more points (17 goals, 26 assists) in 28 games. Out of those 17 goals, only two came on the power play, but five were short-handed as he teamed up with fellow Lightning prospect, Jack Pridham, to produce one of the most gifted penalty-kill units the OHL has seen in a long time (Pridham had 6 shorties of his own). The post-season was more of the same as O’Reilly captured his third straight OHL title and second Memorial Cup trophy of his career. He put up 28 points (17 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games to pick up the MVP titles for both the OHL and Memorial Cup playoffs. Pretty, pretty good for a 19-year-old. What about his game brought on such success and accolades? Honestly, he just does everything really, really well. While not the fastest skater on the planet he is a strong one and tough to knock off of the puck. He changes speeds pretty well and is a smooth enough skater that his pace is a little deceptive. O’Reilly is also a tireless worker when he doesn’t have the puck. He’ll use every asset available, be it stick checks or his body to separate his opponent from the puck. In the corners or in front of the net, he won’t stop until his team has the puck. Offensively, he isn’t flashy, but makes the correct play almost all of the time. It’s a very direct and simple game that is highly effective because he just doesn’t make many mistakes with the puck. Excellent puck distribution skills set up his teammates for quality scoring chances, and if the defense gives it to him, he’ll call his own number and take a shot. He has an excellent wrist shot that is accurate and usually on net. After a dominant junior season as a 19-year-old, O’Reilly will get a taste of the professional life with the Syracuse Crunch. Chances are the Lightning will be cautious with his development and let him spend most of the season in the AHL, similar to what they did with Conor Geekie last season. Tell him to not worry about getting called up, focus on playing all three aspects of the game, and adjust to the speed and physical play of the second-best league in the hockey world. If he excels, maybe a token call-up for a game or two at some point as a reward, but getting multiple games with the Lightning shouldn’t be his goal…this season. Now, the 2027-28 season is a different story. No matter what happens with Nikita Kucherov, there should be some spots that need to be filled on Tampa Bay’s roster next season. Pontus Holmberg, Scott Sabourin, and Zemgus Girgensons are unrestricted free agents. Gage Goncalves is a restricted free agent. The spots that should be open in the bottom-six would present an excellent opening for a player with O’Reilly’s skillset, and he should have an excellent opportunity to earn a spot on the roster. From there, depending on how he plays, his ceiling in the NHL is likely a middle-six center who can play on both the penalty kill and power play, while seeing ice time for critical face-offs. He did win 27-of-47 face-offs (57.45%) in pre-season this fall. Yes, it’s pre-season, but that’s still a pretty good number against fellow professionals. Add in the 10-for-20 he put up in the 2025-26 pre-season and it’s a pretty good trend for a young player (and he’s a right-handed shot – the Bolt’s could really use one of those in the future). O’Reilly’s overall skillset and more solid trajectory earned him the number one spot on this countdown. While his goal-scoring ceiling might not be as high as Geekie or even Benjamin Rautiainen, the skills that he does possess are more projectable and should make his floor as a professional player a lot higher than some of his future teammates. It will be fun to watch his career over the next couple of seasons in Syracuse and Tampa. Perhaps the biggest obstacle that would keep him for being a potential captain for the Lightning down the road would be his general manager’s desire to keep the Lightning in the Stanley Cup picture during the Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov Era. O’Reilly is the type of on-the-cusp-of-the-NHL prospect that teams who are selling assets love to acquire in lieu of first-round picks. He is also the type of player that a team can rebuild around as their current stars age out a bit. So those are the two wolves inside of Mr. BriseBois that he will have to choose between in regards to O’Reilly’s future with the organization. Can he be the centerpiece in a deadline deal that cements the Lightning as a contender, or is he the future that they build around as Kucherov, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and the others age out of their productive years. Your Thoughts: Almost half (48.8%) of the votes cast for Mr. O’Reilly were for the top spot with only one voter having him outside of the top three. “O’Reilly needs a year of professional hockey (AHL) to complete his development and get a spot on Lightning roster, I look forward to seeing him against pros in preseason.” “I believe O’Reilly is a jack of all trades and projects to be similar to Anthony Cirelli.” “O’Reilly takes the top spot.” “Reilly and Geekie I think will end up good 2/3 line players.” “Sam O’Reilly is by far our top prospect.” “I feel like smart, skilled forwards that skate fast and play a 200 ft game are the strengths of this organization’s depth right now. O’ Reilly, James, Geekie, and Duke come to mind when I think about that prototypical Lightning player. They’re more than just goals and points.” “I ranked James so high because he has proven he is an NHL’er at this point, he just needs to find and solidify his place. Ditto for Geekie, but I ranked O’Reilly higher because I think he has a higher ceiling and floor than Geekie.” Highlight Videos: Instead of breaking them down in individual highlights, how about a half hour of Sam O’Reilly doing Sam O’Reilly things?