Will O'Neill

Will O'Neill (born April 28, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who most recently played with EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). O'Neill was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 7th round (210th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

For the former Mayor of Newport Beach, see Will O'Neill (politician). For other people with similar names, see William O'Neil.
Will O'Neill
O'Neill in 2015
Born (1988-04-28) April 28, 1988
Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Left
Played for Philadelphia Flyers
EC Red Bull Salzburg
NHL Draft 210th overall, 2006
Atlanta Thrashers
Playing career 2012–2019

Playing career

As a junior, O'Neill played with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he helped his team to win the Clark Cup as the 2007–08 USHL Champions. He then attended University of Maine where he played four seasons of NCAA Division I ice hockey with the Maine Black Bears, where he was recognized for his outstanding performance during his senior, 2011–12, year, when he was named the New England Division I All-Star team by the New England Hockey Writers.[1]

On March 26, 2012, the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed O'Neill to a three-year, entry-level contract.[2] On July 2, 2015, O'Neill left the Jets as a free agent and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3]

On July 1, 2016, O'Neill signed a two-year, two-way contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers.[4] In the 2016–17 season, O'Neill spent the entirety of the year with AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording 28 assists and 31 points in 57 games.

During his second year under contract with the Flyers in the 2017–18 season, O'Neill was recalled from the Phantoms and belatedly made his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on November 2, 2017.[5] He was returned to Lehigh following the game, finishing the season in the AHL with 19 points in 59 games.

As a free agent from the Flyers, O'Neill opted to return on a one-year AHL contract to former club, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on July 9, 2018.[6] In the following 2018–19 season, O'Neill was unable to recapture his previous success in Wilkes/Barre/Scranton, limited to 8 assists in 28 games from the blueline before opting to be released from his contract with the club on January 25, 2019.[7]

O'Neill decided to continue his career abroad, promptly agreeing to his first European contract in signing for the remainder of the season with Austrian club, EC Red Bull Salzburg of the EBEL, on January 29, 2019.[8]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 St. John's Preparatory School HS Prep
2005–06 Tabor Academy HS Prep 5 25 30 — — — — —
2006–07 Omaha Lancers USHL 57 4 9 13 73 5 0 0 0 8
2007–08 Omaha Lancers USHL 58 5 19 24 95 14 1 6 7 38
2008–09 University of Maine HE 34 4 12 16 82 — — — — —
2009–10 University of Maine HE 39 8 23 31 69 — — — — —
2010–11 University of Maine HE 28 4 17 21 44 — — — — —
2011–12 University of Maine HE 40 3 30 33 68 — — — — —
2011–12 St. John's IceCaps AHL 7 1 2 3 9 — — — — —
2012–13 St. John's IceCaps AHL 59 3 18 21 32 — — — — —
2013–14 St. John's IceCaps AHL 68 9 26 35 80 18 3 13 16 27
2014–15 St. John's IceCaps AHL 72 10 38 48 74 — — — — —
2015–16 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 74 8 42 50 78 9 1 3 4 12
2016–17 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 57 3 28 31 44 — — — — —
2017–18 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 59 6 13 19 14 — — — — —
2017–18 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 28 0 8 8 49 — — — — —
2018–19 EC Red Bull Salzburg AUT 12 1 1 2 18 13 2 4 6 10
AHL totals 424 40 175 215 380 27 4 16 20 39
NHL totals 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —

Awards and honors
Award Year
USHL
Clark Cup (Omaha Lancers) 2007–08 [9]
College
Hockey East All-Academic Team 2009–10 [10]
Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2010, 2012 [11]
All-New England First-Team 2011–12 [12]
AHL
Second All-Star Team 2016

See also

References
  1. "Cannata named an All Star by New England Hockey Writers". TheMackReport.com. April 1, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  2. "Maine's O'Neill signs contract with NHL's Winnipeg Jets". Bangor Daily News. March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  3. "Penguins signs defenseman Will O'Neill". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  4. "Flyers sign forwards Greg Carey, Andy Miele and Defenseman Will O'Neill". Philadelphia Flyers. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  5. "Flyers' Will O'Neill makes NHL debut 11 years after being drafted". November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  6. "Penguins sign O'Neill, Haggerty, McGrath and Brown". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  7. "Penguins release Will O'Neill". Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  8. "Red Bull strengthen with American defender" (in German). EC Red Bull Salzburg. January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  9. "Will O'Neill – Maine bio". Maine Black Bears. September 2, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  10. "O'Neill AHL profile". American Hockey League. March 4, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  11. "2013–14 Hockey East Media Guide". Hockey East. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  12. "O'Neill Named All-New England". Yale Bulldogs. March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.


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