Fans you might remember this name from the 2018 NHL Draft. It’s Jay O’Brien. Or often referred to in Philly as “the other kid” the Flyers got the year they drafted Farabee. This comparison is very arbitrary, but prospects do not develop at the same rate. The Flyers were just fortunate that Farabee’s play matured at the pace it did. Most prospects take more time to gain the abilities needed to transition into NHL level talent.
Of course, this being the case of the now 20-year-old Jay O’Brien, who the then Flyers General Manger Ron Hextall took a chance on with his second first round pick at 19th overall that year (The first being Joel Farabee at 14th overall). Hextall drafting O’Brien that high was considered a stretch by some, because he was predicted to fall somewhere in the second round.
O’Brein played high school Hockey at the acclaimed Thayer Academy. A school who is coached by former Flyers forward Tony Amonte. During his tenure at Thayer, O’Brien found himself surpassing his own coaches school records. He posted a whopping 43 goals, 37 assists, totaling 80 points in just 30 Games played.
Once O’Brien was drafted, he went onto play for Providence College in the NCAA, a team he committed to at the ripe age of just 15-years-old. However, things did not go quite as planned for O’Brien during the 2018-2019 season for the Friars. He played in just 25 games, as he amassed just 2 goals, and 3 assists for a total of 5 points. A monumental factor for his curbed production was his injury issues. Over the course of the season, O’Brien suffered a neck and shoulder injury to go along with that was some pretty serious concussion issues. Most think that it had to do with O’Brien’s size, or lack thereof at the time, as he stood at 5’11,” and weighed 185 pounds.
After a horrid season at Providence, the young O’Brien thought it was best to take his talents to the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Now some may think of this league as a lesser talented Junior league when compared to others, but this league has produced young snipers, such as, Brett Hull, Mark Recchi, Paul Kariya, Scott Gomez, and Jamie Benn just to name a few.
The 2019-20 season has been kind for O’Brien and the Vees. O’Brien has most certainly regained his confidence, while scoring 15 goals, and 32 assists for a total of 47 points in just 33 games. That makes for a 1.46 points per game average. These numbers are good enough for the second most points in the league right now.
Throughout the course of the season, O’Brien has shown off his blinding speed. He seems to pair it nicely with his exceptional set of hands. Combine these traits, now O’Brien has the ability to weave in and out of the opposing teams defenders with ease. Using these abilities to infiltrate through the opposing team defenses. This allows O’Brien, and his linemates to ambush the other teams goalies from all possible angles and locations while in the offensive zone. O’Brien just displays a great wealth of hockey knowledge and skill. He seems to always know what to do, or where to be next. O’Brien is usually in the best possible position to score a goal, or set up an unbelievable stick to stick pass that allows someone else to put some points on the board.
O’Brien plans to bundle all of his traits with his reclaimed self-confidence, and head to Boston University next season. In doing so, he will be following in the footsteps of current Flyer and friend Joel Farabee. Both have known each other since playing together on the United States Development Program (USDP), before they were drafted. Farabee helped O’Brien pick the Terriers having nothing but good words to say about the program, and the Boston area for that matter. The location alone should have been a major factor, beings that O’Brien hails from Hingham, MA, which is only 24 miles away from the University’s front door.
With O’Brien’s injuries now in the rearview mirror, his confidence back, and his family close by. O’Brien’s future looks bright once again. If he continues to work out in the weight room to get stronger, then O’Brien could realistically play for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, sooner rather than later.
Photo Credit: Zack Hill
