Student Athlete to Two Time Olympian

Brian O’Neill ’07 was featured at the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing China on the men’s ice hockey team representing team USA. He has had an impressive professional hockey career so far, and he isn’t not done yet! 

2007 Germantown Academy Alum, Brain O’Neill has earned the title of two time Olympian. This resident of Yardley, PA has had an impressive hockey career so far and has his eyes on an Olympic medal from Beijing, China.   

Former athletic director Ginny Hofmann 1760 said that “He was and is a dedicated athlete and student who worked hard and never gave up. Playing for GA ice hockey he got lots of ice time and he was a great skater.” Physical Education teacher, David Martin, reiterated this sentiment, describing O’Neill as “a very hard-working player.” Mr. Martin continued, “He made himself a better player and helped his teammates improve.” Not only was O’Neill an essential part of GA’s Ice hockey team, but he inspired his teammates to always put their best foot forward at whatever task was at hand. 

Mr. Martin shared how O’Neill “always seemed to have a smile on his face.” O’Neill attended GA with his twin brother, and he was not only a hard worker, but a contagiously happy person. 

O’Neill grew up playing for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, a local travel Ice Hockey team in West Chester PA. Mr. Martin explained that O’Neill “was always an undersized player, so he had to learn to play a very physical sport differently. That usually means that he had to use speed and intelligence on the ice.” A high hockey IQ served O’Neill well throughout his hockey career from youth to pro levels.  

As his eye-catching youth hockey career came to an end, he decided to take a risk and take a gap year after graduating from GA. O’Neill had goals of playing Division 1 Hockey at a good school, and he landed on an offer from Yale. In O’Neill’s time on the men’s hockey team at Yale he played 138 games, tying the university’s record and had the second most points in the program’s history.  

After college hockey, O’Neill moved on to make a career out of the sport he loves. Hoffman describes that “his dedication kept him active in the very competitive world of pro ice hockey.” As a professional hockey player he played on various teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) and American Hockey League (AHL). O’Neill is currently in his sixth season with a Finnish team that plays in the KHL of Russia, Jokerit. He has generated a lot of offense for the team and has become a role model to the team and their fans. 

  O’Neill’s time as a Patriot allowed him to grow as a leader and develop as a hockey player, while simultaneously receiving a great education. GA left an impact on O’Neill, and he certainly left a positive mark on GA and its community. Hoffman discusses how O’Neill’s second Olympic appearance “gives you a sense of pride in your school when you are able to see an alum compete at the Olympics.”  It is also important that “people see someone from our area and from our school succeed, regardless of what they are doing” says Martin. 

He enjoys that his job allows him to travel the world and gain experiences like going to the Olympics. Back in 2018, O’Neill was shocked to receive the call that he would be representing the USA in Pyeongchang. He had four points in five games and the team placed seventh out of ten teams. This year, O’Neill was the only returning player from the 2018 team to compete for US men’s ice hockey in Beijing. The team made it to the quarter finals and lost in a tough shootout to Slovakia to finish fifth out of twelve teams. From Ice Line in West Chester, PA to playing on a world stage in Beijing, Brain O’Neil has proven that determination and dedication can take you anywhere.