Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Born in Germany when his father Tom was playing hockey in Europe (following a Boston Terriers captaincy and 61-game NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins), Dan O’Regan grew up playing hockey in the USA.
Hailing from Needham, Massachusetts, Dan O’Regan played for St. Sebastien’s School in the USHS league, notching 104 points through two seasons for the high school team. The right-handed center was named team captain in his senior year.
O’Regan has taken part in both the 2011 U-18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament and the 2012 U-18 World Junior Championship. Through three games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, he scored 1G and 2A and was a plus-2. At the WJC he scored 1G and 3A and was a plus-6, helping USA win for the third year in a row.
With the 2012 NHL Draft approaching, O’Regan chose to go the NCAA route in his development as a player, committing to Boston University for the 2012-2013 season. At the draft, the Sharks selected the Massachusetts native 138th overall in the 5th round. As a freshman at BU, O’Regan led all skaters with 16G, 22A for 38 points in 39 games, including fellow Sharks prospect Matt Nieto.
So far in his sophomore campaign, O’Regan has tallied 5G and 6A for 11 points in 17 GP. He is also currently representing Team USA at the WJC U-20 tournament in Malmo, Sweden.
Hockey’s Future has this report on O’Regan:
"O’Regan is a very skilled player with tremendous upside. From a purely offensive perspective he might just be the best playmaker in the system. He has a good (not great) shot, very good puck skills, and can carry the rubber well at his top speeds. He plays well under pressure and he can thread passes in the collegiate leagues as well as most NHL centermen. If the undersized forward continues to develop at his pace he has the potential to become a top line talent."
While his size (5’10”) could potentially be an issue, O’Regan’s production and development will determine the kind of success he will have at the professional level. One of the best prospects in the system, the current Boston Terrier is an exciting player to keep tabs on throughout his sophomore campaign. Look for him to become an offensive force for the Sharks over the course of the next three years.