To say Mount Saint Charles 18-U right wing Cam O’Neill is off to a hot start is putting it mildly. The '04 from Odenton, Md., has eight goals and 12 assists through nine games for Matt Plante’s team.
On Tuesday, O’Neill was rewarded for his success, as well as his overall body of work, as he was offered a scholarship offer to play college hockey at UMass. O’Neill officially accepted it Tuesday night when he announced his commitment to the Minutemen, via social media.
O’Neill, in his third year playing for the Woonsocket, R.I., based program, has potentially parlayed his strong play into some early season attention from NHL scouts. There were a number of NHL teams in attendance when Mount Saint Charles hosted the Northeast Pack event two weekends ago.
O’Neill isn’t going to dazzle scouts with his skating, but he plays a hard-nosed, north-south game. He hunts pucks, is strong below the dots, cycles pucks, and can fire the puck with zip. His ability to be heavy on pucks and bring a physical element are what the UMass coaches undoubtedly liked when watching him. Both assistant coaches, Jared DeMichiel and Matt Lindsay, were at Adelard Arena for that Northeast Pack event, including on the day where he scored eight points in two games.
O’Neill’s family is no stranger to Hockey East. His older brothers, Jason and Colin, played at Providence and UMass Lowell, respectively. The younger O’Neill is likely to play out this season at Mount before spending a year or two in the USHL with Tri-City before matriculating to UMass.
Terriers commit '05 forward
Boston University received a commitment from '05 forward Brandon Svoboda of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. An NTDP Evaluation Camp invitee in May, he has long been regarded as one of the better forwards in the age group.
In 45 games last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15 Only squad, Svoboda scored 25 goals and added 38 helpers. A power forward, Svoboda has a lot of intriguing physical tools, but needs to play a more consistent brand of hockey in order to get the most out of his ability. The Level Green, Pa., native has moved up to play for the organization’s 16-U team in 2021-22.
Friars pick up King
Bishop Kearney Selects 16-U forward Owen King has committed to Providence. The '05 from Rochester, N.Y., is in his second season playing for the locally based program after coming over from the Syracuse Nationals.
The undersized forward has taken a huge step from last season to this. In 2020-21, King scored 10 goals and added 27 assists in 48 games. This season King has six goals and 11 helpers in just 13 games.
