Here’s some perspective on Cal O’Reilly: In his first season in pro hockey with the Milwaukee Admirals, several of his current teammates were in their third year.
Not their third year in the pro game. Not even their third year in hockey. Their third year in life. And one hadn’t even turned 2.
It’s not just locker room ribbing to point that out, not a way to poke fun at a 37-year-old center but rather an explanation of the most significant reason O’Reilly is back in Milwaukee nearly 18 years after he first came to the city.
“I’m used to it now,” O’Reilly said of relating to younger players. That’s a reality of pro sports, especially in the American Hockey League with its mix of prospects breaking in and veterans looking for one more shot at the NHL or one more season in the game.
“You know, you just think back to when you were that young and how different it is in the pro game … and guys that helped me when I was super young. And I just want to try and help them anyway I can, and if they can learn anything from my experiences that helps them get to the next level or wherever they want to go, that’s great.
“It starts right away, just build relationships with guys, especially the younger guys … and look for some things on the ice with them, with anything I see. And then just try to be able to lead by example, and make sure that I’m playing well and doing the right things out there, so they see them.”
Cal O’Reilly has played for six other AHL teams and five NHL teams since his first stint with the Admirals
Plenty of players on the Admirals roster this season qualify as super young.
Enter O’Reilly, who will lace up his skates for his 886th AHL game when the Admirals (1-0) host the Texas Stars in their home opener at 6 p.m. Saturday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The Toronto native, who played parts of five seasons for the Admirals from 2005-10, is the franchise’s leader in career assists and second in points since Milwaukee joined the AHL in 2001.
O’Reilly has played for seven AHL and five NHL teams. The last of his 145 NHL games came in 2017-18 with the Minnesota Wild – a season in which he set records for assists and points for the Wild’s Iowa AHL affiliate – and he spent the past four seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
“He’s the same old Cal,” said Admirals assistant coach Scott Ford, whose playing career in Milwaukee overlapped O’Reilly’s for two seasons.
“He’s later on in his career and he’s still playing and producing at a high level, so we’re excited to have him.”
Ryan O’Reilly, Cal’s younger brother, signed with the Nashville Predators for this season
Admirals general manager Scott Nichol and coach Karl Taylor had talked about pursuing the five-time AHL all-star previously, Taylor said, but didn’t pull the trigger until last July. It’s not a complete coincidence that was about the time the Predators landed his 32-year-old brother, Ryan, an NHL all-star and Stanley Cup champion, for a similar role.
“We both talked about it, and there was interest,” Cal O’Reilly said of playing in the same organization. “We have the same agents. So he does his thing, talks to the teams, but I know he really wanted to go to Nashville and I would love to come back here if the opportunity was there. And it worked out this way.”
O’Reilly has been chosen as the Admirals captain. While leadership is the primary reason for his return, he is still a capable scorer who still has “a lot of zip in his step” and makes up for any toll age has taken with his craftiness, Taylor said.
The Nashville Predators’ rebuild has left the Milwaukee Admirals with a young team
With the parent Nashville Predators rebuilding, they tapped Milwaukee for many of the forwards who helped the Admirals reach the AHL conference finals last season. They also had an unusual number of high draft picks coming out of juniors, colleges and leagues in Europe and others needing to acclimate to the pro game, such as 20-year-olds Zach L’Heureux, Fedor Svechkov, and Reid Schaefer, as well as a few who came along late last season, such as 19-year-old rising star Joakim Kemell.
The 2023-24 version of O’Reilly is different from the one who played at the since-razed Bradley Center in 2009-10; he’ll be the first to tell you that. Stamina is harder to maintain. Recovery takes longer. He lifts weights more than he once did and tries to play shorter shifts, especially early, to stay fresher.
But the effort is worthwhile for O’Reilly to have the opportunity to possibly close his career where it began.
“I’ve always been a smart guy who is looking to set up his teammates and pass the puck first,” O’Reilly said. “And I don’t think I’ve lost that or that hasn’t changed at all. You know, I’ve never been the fastest guy on the ice, but I get around fine. I still feel like I’m moving well enough out there.
“And what’s changed? I think just your experience, on the ice, but more off the ice dealing with ups and downs and dealing with things that you go through throughout a year.”
In other words, exactly what the kids need to see.
