Blake Hillman Happy to Call Hartford Home
After years of bouncing around pro hockey, the veteran defenseman has finally found a home team in the Connecticut capital.
The AHL is a journeyman's league.
Top prospects are the focus of the NHL's top developmental league. But outside said prospects, the AHL is home to numerous hockey nomads, bouncing from team to team as franchises look to flesh out their roster and comply with the veteran rule.
For years, defenseman Blake Hillman was one of those players. A sixth-round pick (#173) by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016, Hillman has suited up for teams in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL over the course of his career. The constant movement meant he rarely stayed with the same organization for more than a year.
The 2021-22 season saw Hillman's fortunes start to change. He enjoyed a strong training camp with the Wolf Pack on a professional tryout contract. While he wouldn't make the team out of camp, he at least put himself on the Wolf Pack's radar.
Hillman would get another opportunity later that year. With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting pro hockey, teams often needed players on PTOs to fill in the gaps on their rosters. Hillman signed a PTO with the Providence Bruins late in the campaign and made the most of it, notching seven assists and posting a +9 plus/minus.
Those two showings earned Hillman a one-year contract with the Wolf Pack the next summer, and he's remained in the Connecticut capital ever since.
"With the start of my career, bouncing from team to team, being in the ECHL, getting called up to AHL teams…just being here for the past four years has been amazing," Hillman told Blueshirt Banter at Wolf Pack media day on Monday, Oct. 6. "Just being able to be welcomed by the city, coaching staff, front office, everything like that. Just trying to help in any way possible for this organization."
Now, as Hillman begins his fourth season in the Connecticut capital, he remains a key figure both on the roster and in the locker room.
