Ryan O’Reilly to play at World Junior A Challenge

With all the excitement of the World Junior Championships taking place later this month, with several Red Wings prospects competing, some forget about the smaller events that take place this time of year. The World Junior A Challenge is coming up, spanning from Dec. 9 to Dec. 16 and is an under-20 tournament meant for Junior A players, which are found in leagues such as the BCHL, USHL, OJHL, and CCHL.

Red Wings prospect Ryan O’Reilly will be playing this year for Team USA, along with other players from the USHL. O’Reilly is the only player on the entire team who has been drafted into the NHL so far (a few players are 2019 draft eligible and are expected to be picked). He could be a heavily leaned on player for the Americans.

Drafted 98th overall in last June’s draft, O’Reilly has spent this season with the Fargo Force of the USHL and has recorded 8 goals and 6 assists in 21 games so far. He is committed to the University of Denver next season. Here is the game-by-game breakdown of his stat-line: