The Edmonton Oilers have brought in the NCAA’s top player, trading prospect forward Sam O’Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Hoby Baker award winner Ike Howard on Tuesday.

Howard had 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games in a historic season for Michigan State, which won both the conference tournament and the regular-season championship to become the first program to capture the Big Ten Double.

The Oilers have signed him to a three-year entry-level contract.

“I’ve watched every single Oilers playoff game in the last couple years,” said Howard, who played two years with the Spartans, earning 88 points (34 goals, 54 assists) over 73 games, and is fresh off a gold medal at the 2025 world hockey championship in May with Team USA. “Just watching, it’s such high-paced, skilled and fast. Work ethic first, I think that’s kind of exactly my game and I think that’s why this could be such a great fit and why I was really excited.”

But before you go penciling the promising 21-year-old’s name on the top line next to Connor McDavid, or even with Leon Draisaitl on an Oilers second line in desperate need of a sidekick to fit with the NHL’s reigning goal scorer, it might be prudent to remember Howard, drafted 31st overall by the Lightning in 2022, has yet to play a minute in the pros. Or attend a professional fall training camp, for that matter.

Still, Howard holds high expectations of himself when it comes to the potential of running with the Oilers’ big dogs.

“I think that’s an unreal opportunity, I don’t think you can get any better than that, those are two of the best players in the world. Could be the two best. It’s pretty incredible, I can’t wait to share the ice with those guys, pick their brain,” said Howard.

“They’re both different in their own ways and they’re both so talented and so good, so just hearing that is pretty incredible.”

What this move does, is put the Oilers a couple years further ahead in terms of the development pipeline when considering the piece they had to give up in return, because to get something, you have to give something.

And O’Reilly was on track to one day become the third-line centre for the Oilers, who may have ended up having a change of heart at that spot earlier this off-season, when they signed trade-deadline acquisition Trent Frederic to an eight-year deal.

The 19-year-old O’Reilly is coming off of a Memorial Cup championship season where he recorded 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games with the London Knights, while adding 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 17 playoff games on the way to back-to-back Ontario Hockey League championships.

“Obviously, I need to get bigger and stronger,” O’Reilly said during the Oilers prospect camp at the beginning of July. “Keep improving my skating, my speed and just keep getting stronger and working on everything. There’s never nothing you can work on, just keep working hard and have a big summer.

“Whatever happens, happens. Just keep my head down and keep working.”

Just when his day in the NHL will come, of course, is yet to be determined. In the meantime, the Oilers feel their new prospective piece in Howard is much more ready to make the jump to the big league now, with the Oilers right in the thick of challenging for the Stanley Cup.

So, while it might feel like a baptism by fire with the expectations already being placed on him to fit in here and get up to speed, the next steps Howard takes in his development will be crucial both for himself and his new team.

“I have a handful of buddies already in the NHL playing, made that jump,” said Howard. “I got a cool opportunity at men’s world championships to just be engrained in that kind of system of pro hockey, how those guys act and stuff like that. So, that was super valuable.

“And I think it obviously has a lot to do a lot with your mindset. It’s going to be faster and stronger, and everyone’s goal is to get there and play, so I think a lot has to stem just from the mindset and being confident in your abilities and just embracing the challenge.”

Howard already has a little familiarity, at least, with his new city, having played in the Brick Invitational with Team Minnesota in 2013-14, the same year fellow Oilers prospect Matt Savoie suited up with the local Team Brick.

“That was the first thing I thought of, actually,” Howard said. “I’ve been to Edmonton once, stayed at that West Edmonton Mall, I think it was called. If I remember, it was pretty sweet. It was a fun tournament.

“You play on the ice sheet just in the middle of the mall, which at that age, obviously, it feels like you’re in the Stanley Cup Final. It was such a big deal.”

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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