By her own admission, Kristin O’Neill’s season on a personal level has not gone the way she wanted it to go. The Montreal PWHL forward was taken in the second round, seventh overall in the PWHL Draft and the idea was that she would thrive on the team’s second line.
Through 16 games, O’Neill only has four assists but while the offensive numbers may be lower than expected, she continues to have a positive impact when she’s on the ice. She has become a mainstay on Canada’s national team roster, often playing an important shutdown role. She has taken the second-most faceoffs on the team, and has won over 51% of them.
“I love the way [O’Neill] plays,” said Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie, who is also an assistant with the Canadian national team. “She’s very physical, you think at times ‘is she going to come out of that battle alive’ but she’s fearless. She adds so much value to our team. She can play against the top centres, she can draw penalties, she has the ability to play on the power play, and she’s one of the best penalty killers in the world.”
“I think it’s pretty easy to get caught up in how many points people have and how many points I have, or lack thereof, but I think it’s important to embrace what you’re good at,” O’Neill said. “I think I’ve had success in doing that. So it’s just remembering how big my role on the penalty kill is, and being a two-way forward. Remembering all the things I’m good at will help build my confidence and hopefully the puck starts going in along with that.”
After graduating from Cornell University in 2020, O’Neill, an Ontario native, came to Montreal to train with the PWHPA and the national team players who already came to the city like Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Emily Clark, among others. She wasn’t named to the final roster for the 2022 Olympics, but she was on the team’s taxi squad and hasn’t missed a game at a World Championships since, playing 14 games over the last two tournaments.
“I came to train here because I wanted to train with the best players in the world. And I wanted to improve and I wanted to get centralized, and I managed to do all those things,” O’Neill said. “Ending up here I feel like it’s a sign. I get to train with some of the best players in the world again, and I think that’s really cool and I get to be here for three years so I’m trying to take that all in and learn every day. It’s the biggest thing for me.”
She was over a point-per-game in the NCAA at Cornell and last year in the PWHPA finished top-five in scoring with 21 points in 20 games on a line with Montreal teammate Laura Stacey. The ability for more offensive production is there, and she has shown herself to be capable of providing more offence despite her numbers to start the season.
When you’re playing behind Marie-Philip Poulin, a lot of responsibility will be put on her shoulders but O’Neill is also trusted to take some of the tough matchups away from Poulin. With Poulin out of the lineup, the ask becomes even more.
“I’m the type of player that if a coach asks me to do something, I put my whole entire effort into doing that specific thing and I think that’s something that I’m good at,” O’Neill said. “If I’m asked blocked shots, I’m going to do that. And I think that’s why I am a leader on this team, because I am willing to do that. I really love having more ice-time, but obviously everyone does. So I have to be patient and I think the opportunities will come.”
While the void Poulin, day-to-day with a lower body injury, leaves on the ice in games is significant enough, her role as a leader leaves a void as well, even when the team is practicing. But the leadership of Poulin runs through the entire group and it’s a testament to her that even though these are her peers, they all look up to her and have for years.
“The cool thing about [Poulin] is, yeah, she scores the biggest goals ever in women’s hockey but she’s literally blocking shots in practice,” O’Neill said. “That’s exactly what our team needs to do. In practice, we need to play like it’s a game and I think she brings that every single day and even without her at practice, I think there is a bit of a void to fill. I think we did a good job, but in the back of our minds we’re thinking or, at least I’m thinking, ‘what would Pou do’ and I think that’s kind of my inner slogan sometimes. She’s such a good role model for me and everyone on our team and honestly everyone in our league, so it’s pretty cool to play on her team and watch her and try to emulate her.”
