By: Brendan Price

Forward Quinn O’Reilly has spent the last two and a half seasons in Northern Colorado and there wasn’t any doubt in his mind why he was coming back.

“I chose to play here for my last year of junior hockey because everyone treats you like a family, the billet families are unbelievable, and they have one of the best coaching staffs I have ever played for,” explained O’Reilly.

O’Reilly enters his sixth season of junior hockey and said the culture around the organization was a driving force behind his return.

“Everyone on this team is a family and everyone pushes each other to be the best player they can be, on and off the ice. Everyone treats each other with respect,” he added.

Respect can be a quality earned and the Wichita, KS forward has earned much more than that in NoCo; he is a fan favorite in Eagles country for his hard-nosed play, willingness to drive to the net, and a knack for getting under the opponent’s skin.

“Quinn is that player that is hard to play against and does a good job getting under the other team's skin,” explained Head Coach/General Manager Steve Haddon.

The winger had his scoring output dip last season and registered 21 points (8-13-21) in 43 games. However, the dip belied something different; an increased focus on the defensive side of the puck. O’Reilly slashed his penalty minutes in half, upped his plus/minus rating, and drew rave reviews from the coaching staff for his beyond the box score contributions.

“His buy-in was second to none,” remarked Haddon.

“Last season, I really felt like he came full circle with his game. Quinn's discipline and attention to detail playing without the puck and his defensive side of the game was very impressive,” he continued.

The 2002 birth year forward looks to step into a central role for the Eagles this season. O’Reilly started playing junior hockey at 15 years old and has over 200 games of experience under his belt. Off the ice, O’Reilly makes a habit of flipping pucks over the glass, taking photos, and sharing laughs with younger fans in the building during warmups or postgame, home and away.

“My goal is to be the best leader and teammate for the new guys coming in and for our team to go farther in the playoffs than last year,” explained O’Reilly.

He scored arguably the biggest goal of the 2021-22 season for the Eagles; the OT winner in Game 3 of the Mountain Division Semi-Finals that catapulted the team to the divisional finals, where the Eagles fell short of their elusive first trip to Nationals.

"Now, with him coming into his last season of junior hockey as we watch him round out his complete 200 foot game, the bar is set high and we expect him to have his best season yet," declared Haddon. 

O’Reilly joins an already solid core of returning Eagles; joining defenseman Evan Wammes and goalie Charles-Anthony Barbeau in the organization’s quest for a second Mountain Division regular season title and their first trip to Nationals.

“I’m looking forward to the time I get to spend with the boys, billet families, and holding a banner at the end of the year,” finished O’Reilly.

Entering their 10th season of existence, the Eagles have graduated over 100 players to college commitments in the United States (NCAA) and Canada (U-Sports), as well as professional contracts abroad. Eagles’ alumni dot the hockey landscape; playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), Poland and Sweden.

If you are a player that is interested in joining the Eagles organization for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, please email Coach Haddon at haddon@northerncoloradoeagles.com.