Vegas Golden Knights add forward depth with O’Regan pickup

Danny O’Regan is now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

You may be asking who the hell is that and, in the grand scheme of things, the signing of O’Regan was lost in the weeds with the Vegas Golden Knights going after bigger fish in Alex Pietrangelo.

But the Golden Knights did indeed pick up O’Regan, signing the centre to a one-year, $700,000 contract.

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Like the signing of Tomas Jurco, O’Regan is nothing more than a depth forward for this organization and the 26-year-old is likely to begin the 2020-21 season in the American Hockey League with the Henderson Silver Knights, whenever that may be due to the continued uncertainty thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drafted 138th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, O’Regan was crowned the AHL Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies in points with 58 (23 G, 35 A) during the 2016-17 season for the San Jose Barracuda.

O’Regan, who played four seasons of NCAA Hockey at Boston University, made his NHL debut for the Sharks in 2016-17 and went on to record five points (1 G, 4 A) in 22 games for the Sharks, averaging 10:11 minutes of ice time.

The forward was then signed by the Buffalo Sabres for whom he appeared in just three games with, while he was then signed by the New York Rangers.

While he did not appear in an NHL game with the Rangers, O’Regan did finish second in scoring for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL in 2019-20, putting up 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points in 62 games.

Again, O’Regan is unlikely to be on the NHL roster for the Golden Knights come Opening Night of the 2020-21 National Hockey League season, but he will be a nice addition for the Henderson Silver Knights ahead of their inaugural season in the American Hockey League.

And, should the Golden Knights get hit by injuries in their bottom-six forward group at any point during the season, O’Regan should be able to fill in and contribute as and when needed.

But, like Tomas Jurco, expect Danny O’Regan to cement himself as a key piece of the Henderson Silver Knights roster as they look to establish themselves as a powerhouse in the AHL.