O'Neill flew under the radar when he entered college, but he quickly adapted during his freshman season and has become one of the most dynamic scorers in college hockey. A speedy playmaker with great hands, the senior has eclipsed the 45-point mark for the third straight season, and finds himself among the nation's top scorers, something made even more remarkable as Yale plays a shorter schedule in the ECAC. He's been a big reason for the Bulldogs' continual reign among the country's top offenses, and could make for a valuable asset for an NHL team.
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"It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79 dollar reading glasses today. 79 bucks. You can literally get them at Costco, three-for-20." - Darryl Sutter's response to going up 2-0 in the series.
Doesn't surprise me that the Kings are looking at signing college free agents considering the lack of draft picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft.
Last summer, not long after O’Neill led the Bulldogs to within a game of the Frozen Four for the second successive season with a team-high 20 goals and 46 points, the Los Angeles Kings offered a contract for the maximum allowable money for rookies under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.
O’Neill turned the deal down to return to Yale. But the Kings are among those expected to come back with another contract offer this week, joining one on the table from the Swedish professional league that signed Yale’s Broc Little last spring.
“I’m confident he’ll have an NHL deal,” Allain said, adding he expects things to move quickly. “Generally, they do. I’d be surprised if it didn’t (happen soon).”
Harvard coach Ted Donato, who spent 13 years as a forward in the NHL, mostly with the Boston Bruins, said he considers O’Neill an All-American-caliber player who deserves a chance to play in the NHL.
“Brian is one of the best players I’ve seen in our league over my eight years coaching,” Donato said. “He’s an all-around player who can hurt you scoring goals, setting up plays and he plays with a compete level and an edge that as a coach you dream your best players are that complete. Every time he’s on the ice, he’s a factor.”
O'Neill flew under the radar when he entered college, but he quickly adapted during his freshman season and has become one of the most dynamic scorers in college hockey. A speedy playmaker with great hands, the senior has eclipsed the 45-point mark for the third straight season, and finds himself among the nation's top scorers, something made even more remarkable as Yale plays a shorter schedule in the ECAC. He's been a big reason for the Bulldogs' continual reign among the country's top offenses, and could make for a valuable asset for an NHL team.
A one year deal? I don't remember seeing many one year deals. Is this something that happens often?
Ok here's the explanation. O'Neill has to sign a Entry Level Contract, which everyone signs(Unless they are 25 or above which almost never happens, See Matt Gilroy). Now the number of years on his contract is determined by his age, and this is where the fun starts. O'Neill who is currently 23-years-old is considered by the CBA as a player who is the age 24. Why you may ask? The NHL considers his age based on what age he is at years end.
A 24-year-old player may only get a one-year ELC. If the Kings offered him the max amount(which it sounds like they did), his NHL contract will be 925,000(which he will probably never see any of) with a signing bonus of 92,500(which he probably already has in his bank account). Plus he'll receive 70,000 for his time in the AHL(He'll get his salary pro-rated which isn't much but it maybe like 5K).
Then at years end he'll be an RFA and will resign with the Kings for probably 2-3 years(two-way contract) with around a 925K/70K salary.
He is never going to see any serious NHL time. Prove me wrong, Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy Stardust
Posted this yesterday...
Doesn't surprise me that the Kings are looking at signing college free agents considering the lack of draft picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft.
Please tell AEG we are not playing Soccer but Hockey so quit approving the signings of 5'-8" players. Now if there going to start a under 6' league were set.
Please tell AEG we are not playing Soccer but Hockey so quit approving the signings of 5'-8" players. Now if there going to start a under 6' league were set.
I wasn't going to. But since you said "please", I'll think about it.
Had O'Neill been draft eligible, you could say he's a late 2nd or 3rd round quality pick.
No way. You gotta remember he is entering his mid 20s. PDG at Michigan for example projects as a 2nd round pick and he is worlds better as a prospect.
I'd be shocked if he ever sees the NHL. Look at comparable players. And then factor in he is 5'8. This is an organizational depth move for Manchester/Ontario.
The big guys will be signing in the next couple weeks once their seasons end. I'll be real excited if the Kings can get JT Brown
Seeing O'Neill's shot, speed, hustle, and creativity with the puck (he can make plays off the rush), I think he has the potential to be another Matt Read. He seems to be more dynamic than most of the other prospects in Manchester. Would like to see how he does there for the rest of the season, if he gets in any games.
