Knights and Rangers complete pair of trades involving O’Reilly, Woolley, picks

The London Knights and Kitchener Rangers completed two separate trades on Wednesday, resulting in a significant exchange of players and draft capital between the clubs.

In the first deal, Kitchener acquired forward Sam O’Reilly and defenceman Jared Woolley from London in exchange for defenceman Jacob Xu and ten OHL Priority Selection picks.

The draft picks sent to London include second-round selections in 2026 (Guelph) and 2029 (Kitchener), third-round picks in 2028 (Peterborough and Brampton), fourth-round picks in 2026 (Peterborough) and 2027 (Brampton), fifth-round picks in 2028 and 2029 (Kitchener), and sixth-round picks in 2028 and 2029 (Kitchener).

O’Reilly, 19, was named captain of the Knights earlier this season and brings championship experience to Kitchener after winning back-to-back OHL titles and the 2025 Memorial Cup with London. Drafted 32nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Toronto native is now a prospect of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has produced 155 points in 163 career OHL regular-season games and added 22 points in 17 playoff games during last spring’s championship run.

Woolley, also 19, is a 6-foot-5 defenceman drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Port Hope, Ont., native has appeared in 142 career OHL games, recording 58 points, and is enjoying his most productive offensive season to date with 25 points in 37 games.

In a second, separate transaction, London acquired the rights to forward Kane Barch and a 2027 15th-round pick from Kitchener in exchange for  London’s 2027 15th-round selection. As part of this trade, Kitchener also receives a 2026 second-round OHL Compensation Pick.

Barch, 16, was selected 22nd overall by Kitchener in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection. The Plano, Texas native is currently playing with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he has recorded 12 points in 32 games with the U17 squad.

Xu, who heads to London as part of the larger deal, is a 17-year-old defenceman from Richmond Hill, Ont. Selected in the eighth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Xu has appeared in 31 games this season and carries a ‘C’ rating from NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.

The pair of trades sees Kitchener add proven, championship-tested talent to its roster for the stretch run, while London stockpiles future draft assets and adds young players to its development pipeline.

All confirmed trades can be found on our OHL Trade Deadline Tracker.