Wes Samuel O'Neill (born March 3, 1986, in
Windsor, Ontario) is a
Canadian former professional
ice hockey defenseman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...
who previously played with the
Colorado Avalanche organization of the
National Hockey League.
Playing career
O'Neill was drafted 115th overall in the
2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was the 42nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 26 and 27, 2004 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout, ...
by the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
. Originally from the
Green Bay Gamblers
The Green Bay Gamblers are a Junior ice hockey#Tier I, Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). They play in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, at the Resch Center.
History Professional hockey in Gre ...
of the
USHL he was to play for
Canada at the World U18 Championships in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. He then committed to play four years of
collegiate hockey at
Notre Dame culminating in a conference championship in 2007.
O'Neill signed as a
free agent by the
Colorado Avalanche on August 20, 2007. He made his professional debut in the
2007–08 season with the Avalanche's affiliate, the
Lake Erie Monsters. O'Neill spent the majority of the year with the Monsters before he was sent to the
Johnstown Chiefs of the
ECHL for their playoff run.
In the
2008–09 season, O'Neill received his first NHL recall on March 27, 2009. He made his NHL debut with the Avalanche on the same day, in a 4–1 defeat to the
Vancouver Canucks. He was sent back down to the Lake Erie Monsters on April 4, 2009.
Wes was assigned to Lake Erie and recorded a career-high 15 points in the
2009–10 season. Wes became the Monsters franchise leader in games played with 159 and appeared in a further two games for the Avalanche in a brief stint in January.
O'Neill was not retained by the Avalanche and was rendered a free agent at season's end. Unable to attract an NHL offer prior to the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season, O'Neill accepted a try-out to the reigning AHL Champions, the
Hershey Bears, training camp but failed to attain a contract. With the season underway, Wes signed with Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL on a one-year contract on October 18, 2010. As Captain of the K-Wings, O'Neill appeared in 13 games before he was signed on a professional try-out contract by AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, on November 19, 2010.
After a second injury hit season with the Wings, O'Neill left as a free agent and signed a one-year contract with ECHL competitor the
Toledo Walleye on September 4, 2012. At the conclusion of the
2012-13 season, O'Neill opted to retire from hockey after 6 professional seasons.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Wes
1986 births
Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
Colorado Avalanche players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players
Johnstown Chiefs players
Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) players
Lake Erie Monsters players
Living people
New York Islanders draft picks
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey players
Providence Bruins players
Ice hockey people from Windsor, Ontario
Toledo Walleye players
Canadian ice hockey defencemen