Suffice to say Blake Hillman has memorized the U.S. Postal Service’s change-of-address protocols.

The three-year Denver defenseman will play this season for the Hartford Wolfpack, the American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Rangers. Hartford, which signed Hillman to an AHL contract this summer, will be his eighth stop since he left DU in 2018 to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“There have been so many moves in the past few years, but it’s been good,” Hillman reported. “I’m happy to get my foot in the door with the AHL.”

That might have seemed like a given four years ago, when Hillman signed with Chicago, promptly played four games and became the first among a quartet of early departures from DU that spring (Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell and Troy Terry were the others) to score an NHL goal.

From there he spent a season with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford before the fun really started. In 2019-20, he played mostly for Toledo of the East Coast Hockey League (35 games) but got 12 more in the AHL in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Stockton, Calif.

In 2020-21, he spent 43 games with South Carolina of the ECHL, helping the Stingrays reach the Kelly Cup Finals.

This past season, he split time between Toledo, Grand Rapids and Providence, R.I., the last two AHL stops for a combined 30 games. He got in one Calder Cup playoff game for Providence before returning to Toledo and helping the Walleye reach the Kelly Cup Finals. His 22 combined points were nearly double his output in any of his other pro seasons.

“During (2021) I didn’t start playing until the end of January because of Covid,” he said. “We went all the way to the finals. Last season, I went to the finals again, and unfortunately lost again. I’ve been part of some good teams, and met some good people.”

Those relationships and his steady play ultimately opened the door for his opportunity in Hartford.

“The GM in Hartford (Ryan Martin) was the GM in Grand Rapids, and he was familiar with me,” Hillman said. “My first year in Toledo, I got called up. I got to know (the Wolfpack) when I went to their training camp last year. He said they were ready to call me up but then Providence called. Right after the season my agent said Hartford was willing to sign me.

“It’s always a benefit to know a couple of people there. It makes me feel good they wanted me to sign.”

Hillman, who returns to Denver each summer to train with several DU alumni, said his experiences in the minors have taught him some valuable lessons that he hopes will give him another chance at the NHL.

“My biggest area I’ve matured has been confidence,” he said. “(In 2018) I was riding high, we’d won a national championship, I signed with Chicago, got four NHL games. I was on top of the world, and then everything within a year got taken away. I took it away from myself because of my play. I was very tough on myself.

“Mentally things have come a long way. I go out every game now knowing I can play at the level I’m at and knowing I can play against whomever I’m against. You’ve got to move on, you can’t stick to your mistakes.”

Some self-reflection is good. Too much wasn’t productive.

“You find out who you are when things aren’t going great,” Hillman said. “I’ve been able to handle it better and better. No one wants to make mistakes, but they are part of the game. Realizing I don’t need to be so hard on myself has helped me boost my game.”

And it’s given Hillman an opportunity to establish himself as an AHL defenseman who has given himself a shot at returning to the NHL in the future.

SEE ALSO: NHL alumni – Terry’s game gets a shot in the arm

Here are updates on several other DU alums playing in the minor leagues or overseas:

American Hockey League

Devin Cooley, Milwaukee Admirals: The 6-5 goalie will begin his third pro season with the Nashville Predators’ top affiliate after going 9-10-4 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.95 goals-against average.

Josiah Didier, Providence: An assistant captain for the Bruins, the defenseman has carved out a nice AHL career by preventing opponents from scoring.

Cole Guttman, Rockford Ice Hogs: The center was impressive at the Blackhawks’ rookie camp and has a chance to play some NHL games this season.

Jarid Lukosevicius, free agent: The forward played for the Abbottsford Canucks (AHL) last season and put up 19 points in 62 games.

Matt Marcinew, Calgary: The well-traveled and well-rounded center returns home to Calgary after spending last season in Europe. The Wranglers are his ninth pro team since 2017.

Griffin Mendel, Chicago: The 6-4 defenseman played 10 games for the Wolves after signing following the completion of his fifth NCAA season and first at Quinnipiac.

Kohen Olischefski, Rochester Americans (AHL): The forward played three games in Rochester after his fifth NCAA season (at Providence) ended in March and will head right back to upstate New York for his first full pro season.

Jussi Olkinoura, Grand Rapids: After playing for Finland in the Olympics and standing on his head in consecutive World Championships, it’s about time the goaltender gets another shot in North America. He had a 20-10-2 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in the KHL last season.

Emilio Pettersen, Stockton Heat (AHL): The shifty forward was one of the more noticeable players at DU’s pro camp after taking a big leap – 26 points in 59 games (after 14 the previous season). He also had two game-winners in the playoffs for a deep Stockton team.

Carter Savoie, Bakersfield Condors (AHL): He played just two games after signing an ATO with Bakersfield. Invited to the Edmonton Oilers’ training camp after participating in their rookie camp, he’s expected to apprentice in the AHL this season.

Brett Stapley, Laval Rocket: He signed an AHL deal with the Montreal Canadiens’ top affiliate late this summer.

Cameron Wright, Colorado Eagles: He impressed at the Avalanche’s rookie camp enough to earn an AHL deal up Interstate 25.

East Coast Hockey League

Jack Doremus, Tulsa: An ECHL All-Star last season, the speedy, hard-shooting forward put up 59 points, including 29 goals, in 63 games.

Jake Durflinger, Florida: The forward had nine points in his fifth NCAA season, at Merrimack, and signed with the ECHL club this summer.

Liam Finlay, Wheeling: After two relatively productive seasons in various leagues in Europe, the stickhandling wizard returns to North America this season.

Europe

Ryan Barrow, Manchester (UK): The winger will embark upon his pro career in England.

Evan Cowley, Angers (France): The goaltender had his best pro season a year ago, putting up a 1.97 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Matt Donovan, Manheim (Germany): The defenseman put up 40 points in 76 games, his highest total in a decade, for Milwaukee of the AHL last season.

Tariq Hammond, HK Dukla Michalovce (Slovakia): The rugged defenseman has played in the AHL and ECHL the past four seasons, putting up 18 points for South Carolina (ECHL) last season.

Jaakko Heikkinen, Kiekko-Espoo (Finland): The center had 54 points in 48 games last season in his country’s second division.

Joey Leleggia, Timra IK (Sweden): The defenseman continued to do what he’s always done – score (38 points in 52 games) – last season, which was his first for Timra and second in Sweden.

Les Lancaster, Ilves (Finland): Finland agreed with the defenseman, who had 35 points in 57 games last season.

Filip Larsson, Kristianstads IK (Sweden): The goalie posted solid numbers of 2.25 goals-against and a .911 save percentage for HV71 last season.

Ty Loney, Salzburg EC (Austria): After four seasons split between the AHL and ECHL, the forward has consistently produced big numbers during his first four seasons in Austria – 50, 55, 48 and 31 points. He has averaged a point or better per game in all but one of those seasons.

Tyson McLellan, Landshut EV (Germany): The speedy center had 60 points in Germany’s second division last season.

Adam Plant, IF Bjorkloven (Sweden): The defenseman is entering his fourth season in Sweden after a pair of campaigns in the AHL.

Nick Shore, HC Ambri-Piotta (Swizterland): After nearly 300 NHL games, the forward is carving out a nice career in Europe. He played in the KHL last season until Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tyler Ward, Tolzer Lowen (Germany): After two seasons at DU, he played two more at New Hampshire, scoring 27 points in 34 games last season.

Nolan Zajac, Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams (Germany): Yes, that really is the name of the team the talented defenseman plays for. Zajac is in this fourth season in Europe after two primarily spent in the ECHL.

©First Line Editorial 2022