Seeing Sam O’Reilly and Jack Pridham sport the same jersey is nothing new.
Neither is their hunger to reach the world’s premier hockey league.
As of this month, the junior hockey teammates are chasing their NHL dreams together, both hoping to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning someday.
The young forwards joined Tampa Bay in separate trades over the past 12 months, O’Reilly arriving in a deal with the Edmonton Oilers last summer before Pridham joined via trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 1.
Both are taking part in Lightning Development Camp this week alongside other Bolts prospects.
“It’s very exciting,” Pridham said of being in the same NHL organization as O’Reilly. “Obviously after playing with him this year in Kitchener and throughout the season and on the Memorial Cup run, it’s great to be together again.”
Their success this season was well documented, with the duo played key roles in winning an OHL title with the Kitchener Rangers before finishing the year by winning the 2026 Memorial Cup Final.
The 20-year-old Pridham scored 46 goals and 90 points in 65 regular season games for the Rangers and then led all players in Memorial Cup scoring with five goals and nine points. The right wing will attend the University of Denver this fall.
“He’s fast, offensive, really skilled, and he thinks the game really well,” O’Reilly said of Pridham. “He’s a great guy, and I’m super excited to have him here. He’s another guy that I’m familiar with, and to come here with him is awesome,”
O’Reilly, also 20 years old, was a dynamic scorer for Kitchener in his own way, potting 17 goals and 43 points in 28 regular season games for the Rangers after being acquired in a midseason trade.
He then added three goals and eight points in four Memorial Cup games.
“He understands the game well,” Pridham said of O’Reilly. “He's a proven winner. He's won pretty much every year he's been in OHL, so I think to have a guy like that with his leadership, he knows what it takes."
The duo shared the ice frequently as teammates—including on the penalty kill—and they’re doing it again this week at TGH IcePlex in Brandon.
“It’s both of our first dev camps here, so we’re kind of in the same boat, which is nice to have another guy like that,” O’Reilly said. “We’re just here helping each other out along the way.”
Despite this week being both players’ first look at Lightning development camp, they have a teammate and friend to rely on when needed. They picked up right where they left off after arriving to the Sunshine State this week.
“We've been hanging out every day outside of this back at the hotel and in Tampa as well,” Pridham said. "We’ve been exploring different restaurants and hanging out a lot, so it's been good."
That means a lot to both players, who aspire to eventually play in the NHL together with the Lightning. They hope this year is just the start of their friendship—and their time as teammates.
“We had a great year together and played a lot together, so it was awesome,” O’Reilly said. “Hopefully we’ll do it these next couple years as well.”
