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Will O’Neill admits it felt like culture shock when he left his prep school in Massachusetts for Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 18.
It was 10 years ago when O’Neill made the decision to leave the security of playing hockey close to his childhood home in Salem to further his career in the midwest in the USHL. He would no longer have the comfort of seeing his family and friends anytime it was convenient.
Now, in Omaha, O’Neill’s life was all about hockey.
And he had a lot to learn.
“At the time I would hate to admit it, but I went from a safe environment in prep school to basically a flea market in the USHL where pieces were going in every direction. Individual products – players, were moving all over to build a team, like pro, and I wasn’t used to that,” O’Neill said.
The first season in Omaha was a struggle. O’Neill manned the blueline and produced four goals and 13 points in 57 games. For a player used to dominating offensively in prep school, the 13 points were well below O’Neill’s standard.
But that first season in the USHL proved valuable as well. There were gaps in O’Neill’s game that became identifiable. They were addressed, and O’Neill not only adjusted to life away from home, but he also grasped the parts of his game that needed to change.
The next season in Omaha, O’Neill nearly doubled his point production with 24 points in 58 games and was an impressive plus-18. That was significant for O’Neill, who played forward during his childhood but in the USHL had to develop his defensive game before he could turn the offense loose.
Two years in the USHL, away from home, changed O’Neill not only as a player, but a person as well. The time in Omaha laid the groundwork that would eventually propel O’Neill into the ranks of pro hockey.
“As I adjusted I really found my way and was able to take charge, but it took me a little bit,” he said. “It made me more mature and when I moved on to college I was able to make strides sooner and advance my career.”
O’Neill capped off four years at the University of Maine as the team’s leading scorer among defensemen for three straight seasons. He turned pro in 2012 and spent the next three seasons with St. John’s, increasing his point totals every year to a team-high 48 points last season.
Entering this weekend, O’Neill finds himself in a similar spot as he leads all active Penguins in scoring with 33 points, bolstered by a run of 18 points in his last 17 games.
He attributes the production to a “shoot first” mentality.
“That’s how you score in this league,” O’Neill said. “Just put the puck on net.”
His current point streak couldn’t have come at a better time for the Penguins, who are missing many of their top point-producing forwards due to call-ups to Pittsburgh.
When asked if he felt he had to put the team on his back while so many regulars were gone, O’Neill said he doesn’t look at it that way.
“I just worry about each day, each game and if I can contribute in a positive way that’s what I’m going to bring,” he said. “Let the game come to me a little bit and then attack it.”
Head coach Clark Donatelli admits O’Neill has stepped up at a time when the Penguins need his production, but that offensive flair has been tempered.
“Less is more for Will and he’s starting to learn that. He’s understanding it’s about taking what they give you,” Donatelli said. “He’s playing with confidence and he’s probably ready to go if Pittsburgh needs him.”
And that is the next major career stepping stone that O’Neill continues to wait for, patiently.
Despite logging 104 points in three seasons with St. John’s, O’Neill, 27, has yet to get a call to the NHL.
Still, O’Neill isn’t dwelling on the NHL. He goes about his business adhering to the old hockey cliche “control what you can control and don’t worry about the rest.”
“That’s all I can do,” O’Neill said. “If other people see me doing that, then that’s great. If they don’t than I know I’m putting my best foot forward and doing my best to contribute to the team. Knowing that, I can sleep soundly at night.”
