St. Cloud forward O'Neill makes NCAA DI commitment

The St. Cloud Norsemen of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce Top Prospects forward Ryan O’Neill has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the University of St. Thomas in the CCHA.

O’Neill, 20, is currently in his third full season playing in the NAHL for St. Cloud. The 5’10/175 lb. native of Roseville, MN, currently leads the team in scoring during the 2021-22 season with 14 points on 5 goals and 9 assists. O’Neill is second in the North American Hockey League in points per game averaging 1.56 points per game this season. He also had a goal and an assist in a 7-3 win over the USNTDP 17-Team at the 2021 NAHL Showcase in September.

He has been named the Central Division Star of the Week twice in his NAHL career (September 20-26, 2021) and (April 19-25, 2021).

Last year, O’Neill was the team’s second-leading scorer, with 18 goals and 40 points on the season. He was also selected to and played in the 2021 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in June for the Central Division team, where he had three points in two games played.

O’Neill is excited to play close to home with the newest Division I men’s hockey team in Saint Paul. “I loved the campus and the coaching staff, they were awesome. It’ll be pretty special to play close to home and with a new program,” O’Neill said.

“It’s great for him,” said Norsemen head coach Corey Millen. “He’s been in the league three years, he’s a kid who works hard and is dedicated. It’s a school he identified as being very interested, so I’m happy for him.”

Overall in 112 career NAHL regular season games, O’Neill has recorded 80 points.

O’Neill is the sixth member of the Norsemen with an NCAA Division I commitment, joining Sam Duerr (Maine), Josh Langford (Maine), John Opilka (St. Cloud State), Blake Perbix (Northern Michigan) and Nate Warner (Minnesota).

Click here for an updated NAHL to NCAA commitment list