Brian O'Neill (ice hockey, born 1988) explained

Brian O'Neill
Birth Date:1 June 1988
Birth Place:Yardley, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:175
Position:Forward
Shoots:Right
League:NL
Team:EV Zug
Ntl Team:USA
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2012

Brian O'Neill (born June 1, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey forward for EV Zug of the National League (NL).

Playing career

Undrafted, O'Neill played collegiate hockey with Yale University of the ECAC before signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings at the conclusion of his senior year on March 15, 2012.[1] and was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs.

In the 2014–15 season, his third full season within the Kings organization, O'Neill was assigned to continue to play with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. He enjoyed a breakout year offensively with the Monarchs, leading the team and the league with 58 assists and 80 points in 71 games to be awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's most valuable player. In the post-season, O'Neill's continued his offensive pace in recording 10 goals and 20 points to help the Monarchs dominate the league and capture the Calder Cup in their final season in the AHL.

Before the 2015–16 season, O'Neill attended the Kings training camp and participated in the pre-season. O'Neill was unable to earn a roster spot in Los Angeles, and as a result, on the eve of the season, on October 6, 2015, the Kings traded O'Neill to the New Jersey Devils in return for a conditional 7th-round pick.[2] O'Neill made his NHL debut with the Devils on October 10, 2015, against the Washington Capitals. He played 22 games in the NHL for the Devils that season and also made 42 appearances for their AHL affiliate Albany Devils.[3]

On May 20, 2016, he signed a deal with Helsinki-based club Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[4] In December 2020, O'Neill, dubbed "Mr. Helsinki", signed a new three-year contract with Jokerit.

O'Neill was an offensive catalyst for six years in Jokerit before the club withdrew from the KHL during the 2021–22 season due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As a free agent, O'Neill opted to continue his career abroad, agreeing to a two-year contract with Swiss club EV Zug of the NL on May 6, 2022.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
2004–05Germantown AcademyHS-PA2415
2005–06Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 18U AAAAYHL2211304137
2006–07Philadelphia Jr. Flyers 18U AAAAYHL128172527
2007–08Chicago SteelUSHL6023386140732510
2008–09Yale UniversityECAC3312142637
2009–10Yale UniversityECAC3416294520
2010–11Yale UniversityECAC3620264639
2011–12Yale UniversityECAC3521254626
2011–12Manchester MonarchsAHL12112440116
2012–13Manchester MonarchsAHL49312151841012
2013–14Manchester MonarchsAHL6026214739
2014–15Manchester MonarchsAHL71225880551910102012
2015–16New Jersey DevilsNHL220228
2015–16Albany DevilsAHL421319321091456
2016–17JokeritKHL551620364941124
2017–18JokeritKHL4414163040112136
2018–19JokeritKHL621345583061236
2019–20JokeritKHL561929481860662
2020–21JokeritKHL531242541240112
2021–22JokeritKHL419334224
2022–23EV ZugNLA5014284220
NHL totals220228
KHL totals31183185268173314111520

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2018United StatesOG7th51340
2022United StatesOG5th41230
Senior totals 92 5 7 0

Awards and honors

AwardYear
College
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team2008–09
All-ECAC Hockey First Team2010–11, 2011–12[6]
ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team2011[7]
AHCA East Second-Team All-American2011–12
AHL
Les Cunningham Award2014–15[8]
John B. Sollenberger Trophy2014–15
Second All-Star Team2014–15
Calder Cup champion2015[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kings sign forward Brian O'Neill to one-year entry level contract . . 2012-03-15 . 2012-03-15.
  2. Web site: Devils acquire Brian O'Neill from the Kings . . 2015-10-06 . 2015-10-06.
  3. Web site: TheAHL.com The American Hockey League. theahl.com. 2016-05-20.
  4. Web site: Brian O'Neill Jokereihin. Jokerit.com. 2016-05-20. April 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210413005651/https://www.jokerit.com/brian-oneill-jokereihin. dead.
  5. Web site: Brian O'Neill signs for two-years in Zug . . May 6, 2022 . May 6, 2022 . German.
  6. Web site: All-League & All-Rookie Teams Announced . . 2011-03-18 . 2011-03-18 . April 4, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120404095015/http://www.ecachockey.com/men/2010-11/Weekly_Awards/20111603_All_League_Teams_M?dec= . dead .
  7. News: All-Tournament Honors. ECAC Hockey. 2014-05-12.
  8. Web site: Monarchs' O'Neill voted AHL MVP . . 2015-04-01 . 2015-04-01 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150418012224/http://theahl.com/monarchs-o-neill-voted-ahl-mvp-p197471 . 2015-04-18 .
  9. Web site: Manchester defeats Utica to win Calder Cup . . 2015-06-19 . 2015-06-19.