Liam O'Brien
#38 · Centre · Utah Mammoth
Born Jul 29, 1994 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, CAN (age 32) · 6'1", 215 lb · Shoots left
Compare with a similar player
The forwards closest to him in points in 2016-17. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
Boo Nieves
NYR ·
0 P in 1 GP
Borna Rendulic
VAN ·
0 P in 1 GP
Corey Tropp
ANA ·
0 P in 1 GP
Denis Gurianov
DAL ·
0 P in 1 GP
Garrett Mitchell
WSH ·
0 P in 1 GP
Career
Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.
Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | WSH | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 16 | 35 | 0.15 | $622K |
| 2016-17 | WSH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | $622K |
| 2017-18 | WSH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0.00 | $650K |
| 2020-21 | COL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 6 | 28 | 0.25 | $700K |
| 2021-22 | ARI | 39 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 106 | 36 | 139 | 0.08 | $750K |
| 2022-23 | ARI | 56 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -5 | 114 | 39 | 203 | 0.20 | $775K |
| 2023-24 | ARI | 75 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 153 | 72 | 229 | 0.19 | $775K |
| 2024-25 | UTA | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 34 | 100 | 0.07 | $1M |
| 2025-26 | UTA | 38 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 43 | 35 | 115 | 0.11 | $1M |
| 9 seasons | Career | 265 | 14 | 25 | 39 | -4 | 534 | 239 | 854 | 0.15 |
Playoffs
Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | UTA | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0.33 |
| 1 season | Playoffs | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0.33 |
2016-17 season totals
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Shooting % | Avg TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 6:08 |
Contract
His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up.
The contract
Signed by the Washington Capitals on Oct 5, 2014, as an entry-level contract: 3 years and $1.925M, beginning in 2014-15. It runs through 2016-17, so this is its last season, after which he is a restricted free agent.
| Season | Cap hit | Base salary | Signing bonus | Performance bonuses | Paid in all | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | $622K | $550K | $55K | $20K | $605K | |
| 2015-16 | $622K | $575K | $55K | $20K | $630K | |
| 2016-17 | $622K | $575K | $55K | $20K | $630K |
Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.
Contracts he has signed
| Signed | Signed by | Kind | Seasons | Years | In all | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2024 | Utah Hockey Club | Extension | 2024-25 to 2026-27 | 3 | $3M | $1M |
| Mar 6, 2022 | Arizona Coyotes | Extension | 2022-23 to 2023-24 | 2 | $1.55M | $775K |
| Jul 28, 2021 | Arizona Coyotes | New contract | 2021-22 to 2021-22 | 1 | $750K | $750K |
| Mar 30, 2021 | Colorado Avalanche | New contract | 2020-21 to 2020-21 | 1 | $700K | $700K |
| Jun 10, 2019 | Washington Capitals | Extension | 2019-20 to 2019-20 | 1 | $700K | $700K |
| Jul 13, 2018 | Washington Capitals | New contract | 2018-19 to 2018-19 | 1 | $650K | $650K |
| Jul 14, 2017 | Washington Capitals | New contract | 2017-18 to 2017-18 | 1 | $650K | $650K |
| Oct 5, 2014 | Washington Capitals | Entry-level | 2014-15 to 2016-17 | 3 | $1.925M | $622K |
Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2016-17 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.
2016-17 analytics
Rating
The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. He has played fewer than 20 games, too few to be ranked. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
On the ice
What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean
These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.
Who he played with
| Forward line | GP | Time | CF% | xGF% | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Beagle · Tom Wilson · Liam O'Brien | 1 | 5:21 | 46.2 | 85.0 | 0-0 |
The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2017 | @ MTL | W 4-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 06:08 |