Brad McNeil commits to RPI
Maryland Black Bears captain can fill a role in the bottom 6 right away
About a month ago, RPI picked up a commitment from ‘02 forward Brad McNeil. McNeil is a center and the captain of the Maryland Black Bears in the NAHL. Listed as 6’1” and 195 LBs, he has 16 goals, 37 assists and 53 points in 54 games this season. McNeil played in the NAHL Top Prospects earlier on in the season.
Watching McNeil play reminds me a lot of watching a freshman year Ture Linden. McNeil is a very intelligent player who makes smart choices all over the ice. He’s a two-way center who can contribute both offensively and defensively.
Defensively, he is adept at winning faceoffs with at a very good 57% rate. He has a 62% corsi, 65% fenwick, and a 60% xG, showing how good he is at driving play on the ice. Offensively, he is always around the net and getting into the slot, which creates a lot of high quality chances for himself and his team. He averages 2.3 scoring chances per game and a whopping 0.43 xG per game, both of which are very good and show how he’s able to get to the dangerous areas on the ice. His main strength offensively is also his intelligence and IQ, but he also has pretty good hands. His skill allows him to be effective in transition with 2.4 stickhandling entries per game. Lastly, he also draws a lot of penalties at 0.56 per game due to his willingness and ability to go to hard areas of the ice. He’s tough and isn’t afraid to battle in the slot or in the corners.
McNeil seems to be very high character with a lot of leadership. The above tweet is from his current coach. His coach was also quoted as saying this:
“Talk about a success story. An undrafted free agent, coming to our main camp three years ago, and finding a way, not only to make the team, but become one of the most integral players, we have had in Maryland. Brad has humble; team-first principles; and has never asked for anything. He has trusted our process, and been a huge part of building the Maryland Black Bear culture. We are excited for Brad and his family and can’t wait to see him achieve his dream of playing Division I hockey at such an esteemed University as RPI.”
McNeil clearly is viewed as a high-character and hardworking player considering how he had to battle his way onto the team and up the lineup. His leadership is also quite clear from everything that has been said about him. It’s been a key point for the coaching staff to get high character players for the locker room, and McNeil clearly fits with that trend.
With his 2002 birthdate, McNeil is an overager who cannot play junior hockey next year and must come to RPI in the fall. When he enrolls this fall, he can absolutely make an immediate impact in the bottom 6 due to his defensive ability and his intelligence. We look forward to seeing him play for the Engineers soon. Congratulations to Brad and his family!