Former Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly played for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships earlier this year.
While at the Worlds, O’Reilly developed a rapport with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. While chatting up Nurse, O’Reilly asked what his summer workout program consisted of. Without hesitation, Nurse answered, “BioSteel Camp…. Created by renowned strength and conditioning coach, Matt Nichol, the BioSteel way begins with sports nutrition but also encompasses a healthy lifestyle that encourages the best of the best NHL athletes to be at their best not only during their summer training but also during the rigorous NHL season.
Each summer, NHL players of all talent levels and socio-economic backgrounds converge on Camp BioSteel in Toronto. Their goal is to achieve maximum fitness performance that can be transferred to their NHL seasons.
One such player is Darnell Nurse, who invited Ryan O’Reilly to sign up for and to attend Camp BioSteel 2018. O’Reilly filed the idea at the top of his mind when he returned from the World Championships in May.
ICYMI: #CAMP Day 1 Highlights, getting us all fired up for Day 2! #LetsPlay pic.twitter.com/Hh7l1hxbkN
— BioSteel (@BioSteelSports) August 28, 2018
If you’re new to these exercises, start light and move fast, while focusing on technique. These drills help work on gaining speed in a short period of time, which makes all the difference in a race to the puck. #CAMP #LetsPlay pic.twitter.com/MqVSwdcSBr
— BioSteel (@BioSteelSports) August 28, 2018
O’Reilly would normally spend the summer working out with his brother, Cal, near their hometown of Clinton, Ontario. The O’Reilly boys are notorious for their grueling dry land workouts, which includes yoga, stretching, running sand dunes, lifting weights, and long distance roller blading in the blazing summer sun.
O’Reilly is a creature of habit when it comes to his physical fitness.
Well, something happened on the way to his summer workout program.
On July 1, O’Reilly was traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for three centers in Tage Thompson, Patrik Berglund and Vlad Sobotka as well as a first-round draft choice in 2019, and a second -round pick in 2021.
The Blues also agreed to pay the $7.5 million contract bonus O’Reilly was due by the end of the day on July 1.
Life comes at you fast. Real fast.
In the past two months, O’Reilly was the focal point of a blockbuster trade and he also got married.
O’Reilly, his wife and baby boy have been on the move. Literally. From Buffalo to Clinton to St. Louis.
Talk about hustle and bustle. Clan O’Reilly knows the true meaning of what it’s like to live your life in the fast lane.
So, what about summer training?
O’Reilly was a last-minute addition to Camp BioSteel with an assist to Darnell Nurse. On Monday, O’Reilly joined Nurse, Connor McDavid, Tyler Seguin and other NHL notable quotables at BioSteel’s Toronto HQ.
On Tuesday, O’Reilly told Sportsnet 590 Toronto he’s glad the folks at BioSteel were able to squeak him into the high-demand summer camp. He’s thankful for the new opportunity.
As for the transition to his new team in St. Louis, O’Reilly said his new teammates and coaches have been very helpful. O’Reilly played for St. Louis Blues head coach Mike Yeo at the IIHF World Championships.
“It’s nice to already have a relationship established with him. I feel more comfortable communicating and discussing certain things and his kind of style and what he likes. It’s a huge advantage. Not all guys have that opportunity to have that (relationship with Yeo) already in place….
According to O’Reilly, the transition to St. Louis has been smooth. He called the Blues a Stanley Cup contender for the 2018-18 season.
O'Reilly calls the trade to the Blues a "recharge" on his NHL career. O'Reilly welcomes the move from a 31st place team to a Stanley Cup contending team. He has no excuses now.
Thanks, Sportsnet
The question of whether he has found his love for the game of hockey. You’ll recall that on locker clean out day in Buffalo, ROR said he lost his love for the game at times during the 2017-18 season. O’Reilly said preparing to play for a playoff contending team in St. Louis is a departure from what he he grown accustomed to in Buffalo.
“When I talked about losing the love, I think it was over time—a few periods over the year, you know, you are in a losing streak and you don’t feel great coming to the rink. It wasn’t over the whole year. This is the greatest job in the world. It is refreshing to going to St. Louis where that expectation and everyone kind of has that mindset “we’re doing this now!…. Obviously, it’s not going to be easy because it is tough to win. But, the pieces are there that if we come together we are going to give ourselves a chance (to win) and that is something that is real cool to be a part of. It is, I won’t say a little easier to train, but, in the back of my mind training there’s excitement there, like, I can have a good year and come in strong and make us stronger and help us win. It is a shifted mindset that obviously is really exciting….
O’Reilly will likely be centering for one of the NHL’s best snipers in Vlad Tarasenko.
“I haven’t officially talked to the coaching staff about it yet, but I think it will be him (Tarasenko). The nice thing about the team is take a look around and look at the depth. There are so many great players….
O’Reilly said it will be a privilege to play with one of the greatest scorers in the game today in Tarasenko. “He’s one of the elite players in the game and it will make my job a lot easier. I’m just going to get the puck back, put it on his stick….
In 224 games in three seasons in Buffalo, O’Reilly scored 65 goals (33 EV, 31 PP) and 111 assists (68 EV, 38 PP).
In 651 career NHL games, O’Reilly has scored 155 goals and 267 assists for 422 points.
O'Reilly admitted that he was surprised that Sabres GM Jason Botterill was able to get five premium pieces in return from Doug Armstrong. Botterill was steadfast in his demands for trade compansation for O'Reilly. Botterill said countless times from April until July 1 when the trade went down that he did not have to trade O'Reilly. Rather he would listen to only the serious requests for O'Reilly. A few teams were in on the O'Reilly trade talks but in the end, Armstrong needed to add O'Reilly to solidify his center ice depth.
Former Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly thinks his old team will turn things around quickly, but there's a bonus of being traded from Buffalo to St. Louis: It means he doesn't have to see the #Leafs as much anymore. @SportsnetBen @JDBunkis #GoodShow #BestInShow pic.twitter.com/tRKTX4GjlC
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) August 28, 2018
“The Sabres are in great hands. The GM, the coaching staff. There are a lot of good pieces there. The turnaround in this league is so quick and young players develop. They are going to have a good team there. I know some of the guys personally and guys want to win. Once they get in a rhythm and the confidence comes, they are going to be a dangerous team. It may not be right away, it may take a little bit but still there’s a lot of good pieces there and the fans should be very optimistic. There is a bright future in Buffalo for sure."
O'Reilly has mush work to do in the next few weeks. He needs to accelerate his workouts to get himslef ready to compete at the higheste level for his new head coach and teammates in The Loo.
To he much is given much is expected.
**
Here we go.
It's 92 degrees, sunny, salubrious and muggy AF in Buffalo today.
Perfect timing for the Buffalo Sabres to announce their 2018 training camp schedule.
Jack Eichel and his Buffalo Sabres teammates will report to training camp on Thursday, September 13, when veteran players are going to be tested and given physical exams.
On Friday, September 14, the pucks will officially be dropped for practice sessions at Harborcenter, which will be open to the public.
Sabres fans will get their first glimpses of first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin, as well as newcomers Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary, Carter Hutton, Tage Thompson, Patrik Berglund, and Vlad Sobotka. Botterill promised changes and he delivered with a bold statement by saying good day to Ryan O'Reilly, Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson, Ben Pouliot, Jacob Josefson, Viktor Antipin, Jordan Nolan and a few other players.
In April, Sabres head coach Phil Housley told his players to be prepared to battle for their jobs at training camp. Housley's team finished dead last in the NHL standings last season and he promises an aggressive schedule and a hard-working, blue collar training camp.
Housley and Jason Botterill turned over nearly 50% of the roster this summer and in so doing sent a loud message to the vets and newcomers that losing will no longer be tolerated by the Sabres management and ownership.
Houlsey said in April that the Sabres will start their quest for an Eastern Conference playoff berth on the first day of training camp. A fast start will be crucial to the success of the 2018-19 Buffalo sabres. No more excuses.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Buffalo will play their first exhibition game on Monday, September 17, when the Sabres will travel to Columbus. The following night, the Sabres will host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Interested in checking out Rasmus Dahlin's first week of NHL training camp?
Here is the Week 1 itinerary of events:
Thursday, September 13 Players report for testing and physicals. (Closed to public)
Friday, September 14 Session One: 9:45 – 10:20 a.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 10:25 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)
Session Two: 11:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. (KeyBank Rink)
Saturday, Sept. 15 Session One: 9:45 – 10:20 a.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 10:25 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)
Session Two: 11:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. (KeyBank Rink)
Sunday, September 16 Practice: 9:45 – 10:15 a.m. (Both rinks) Scrimmage: 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)