2003-04 Statistics: 39 GP, 2-10—12

Central Scouting: 23rd among North American skaters
The Hockey News: 36th

Background: O'Neill, who has played for Team Canada in Under-18 competition, shunned the OHL to attend Notre Dame. He skated in all 38 of the Irish's games this season.

Scout's Take: “He combines good size and excellent awareness. He's really good at completing that first pass, even if he has to delay a bit to make the play. He has a knack for timing.

"He needs to be a better skater, but there are guys in the NHL who have the same characteristics. Their ability to make that pass and get their team out of their zone compensates for their footwork.

"He’s a guy you either really like or don’t like. You have to project the improvement that he’s going to see over the next few years.

“Maybe it’s because he was rated so high by some people before the year, you expected more out of him. He could go anywhere – somebody could see a big defenseman and really like him high, or he could slide back to the third round.

INCH Projection: O'Neill's stock dropped over the course of the year, but not too far. He should be an early second-round selection and could even sneak into the first.