Introduction
Will O'Neill (born April 28, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). O'Neill was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 7th round (210th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
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 the his senior, 2011–12, year, when he was named the New England Division I All-Star team by the New England Hockey Writers.
On March 26, 2012, the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed O'Neill to a three-year, entry-level contract. 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.
On July 1, 2016, O'Neill signed a two-year, two-way contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 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 | ||
| AHL totals | 280 | 31 | 126 | 157 | 273 | 27 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 39 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHL Clark Cup Champion | 2007–08 | |
| Hockey East All-Academic Team | 2009–10 | |
| Hockey East All-Tournament Team | 2010 | |
| All-New England First-Team | 2011–12 | |
| Hockey East All-Tournament Team | 2012 |