Ryan O'Marra was born on June 9, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan and moved to the Mississauga, Ontario area as an infant. A standout in the Ontario Hockey League, O'Marra was selected 15th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Following his junior career, which included two gold medal victories with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, O'Marra joined the Islanders' AHL affiliate in Bridgeport in 2006.
On February 27, 2007, Ryan was traded along with Robert Nilsson and a first round draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan Smyth. O'Marra would then spend the majority of the next two seasons with the Oilers' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, before finally making his NHL debut in 2009. In all he would appear in three games for the Oilers during the 2009-10 campaign, recording a single assist.
O'Marra's time with the Oilers would come to an end on February 16, 2012. He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defender Bryan Rodney.
