In a world now full of technology whose people now expect everything to happen instantaneously. Few fans even remember the name Jay O’Brien. Even though just a few short years ago in 2018 he was selected in the 1st round by the Flyers just five picks after they took winger Joel Farabee. As far as the rare fan that does remember him being drafted, most have already written him off, but I am here to tell you to do so would not be so wise. For his best may still be yet to come!
Jay’s ongoing journey to try and reach the ranks of the NHL has been anything but ordinary. O’Brien was drafted out of the legendary Thayer Academy (a preparatory High School located in Massachusetts that is coached by former Flyers’ player Tony Amonte) after a season where he posted an impressive 43 goals and 37 assists for 80 points in just 30 games played! That equals out to a 2.66 points per game (PPG) average!
After being selected by the Flyers Jay attended Providence College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); the school that he committed to play for at just 15 years of age. Although things did not seem to go as smoothly as O’Brien would have hoped during his time in Providence. In fact it seemed to be more of a jump from the High School ranks than he could handle; for example, in the 18-’19 season Jay was able to post just two goals and three assists for five points in the 25 games played for the Friars. He might have been able to score more points as the season progressed but found himself the receiver of some pretty nasty hits that resulted in a concussion as well as a separate neck injury. Not being able to play gave Jay time to reflect on his choices and he came to the conclusion that Providence just was not the place for him moving forward.
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So now healed up, O’Brien chose to take his talents to the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). A lesser league for sure than that of the NCAA, but a move that saved him a year of collegiate eligibility, since he would have had to sit out a year if he just transferred to another team in the NCAA the next season. While playing for the Penticton Vees last year Jay was able to regroup and regain his confidence recording 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points. That was good enough for a 1.43PPG average on the season.
After a remarkable season in the BCHL the now 6’0 185 pound O’Brien (who put on like 10-15 pounds of muscle since his last stint in the NCAA) decided to head back to college; but this time he chose to attend the historic Boston University (who have won five National Championships in Division One Men’s Ice Hockey). Sadly, Jay’s bad luck has seemed to catch up to him once again this time in Boston. Ramped up and ready to prove his worth this year O’Brien has been forced to sit and wait, watching as the other teams around the NCAA have already gotten to begin their seasons. The reason for his pause in play this time is not the injury bug but rather that darn Covid-19 virus. Which before the start of the season has made its way into the Terriers locker room. As far as is being reported it has only effected one person so far, and the team is not saying whether it was a coach, player, or a towel boy for that matter, but it did seem to cause enough of a scare for the University to shut down all games until the start of the new year.
So, it should go without saying that Jay is excited for the holidays to just be OVER ALREADY so he can finally get his shot at redemption in the NCAA. O’Brien is hoping that his play can return to the level he knows it can be and that the Flyers faith in him will then be restored enough to earn himself an entry level contract from the city that drafted him. Time will tell if all of this will come true but one thing is for certainly when the Terrier’s do hit the ice once again this writer will be tuning in to see this talented prospect play and I would suggest you do the same!
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