Adin Hill is like any goalie. He’s a creature of consistency.
Hill is never one to turn down reps. He wants as many starts as possible. Part of that is proving he can put his injury history behind him — which he has this season.
That also stems from how fiery a competitor the Golden Knights’ goaltender is.
Hill showed how feisty he can be during the third period of the Knights’ 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. He made three sprawling saves in succession, had his stick jarred loose by Vancouver forward Dakota Joshua and shoved Joshua in the back twice all during the same shift.
“Save! Another try, split stop!”
“Whoa! Adin Hill somehow kept it out!”
Hill comes up big in the third period to keep the @GoldenKnights ahead. pic.twitter.com/AmfPI08Sxu
— Golden Knights Radio (@VGKRadioNetwork) February 23, 2025
That’s the Hill that Knights fans remember from the team’s run to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023. That’s the Hill that earned a spot on Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, though he served as Jordan Binnington’s backup throughout the event.
Hill didn’t outright say Saturday — after making 33 saves in the win over the Canucks — that he was disappointed to not play a game during tournament. He focused on the positives instead after celebrating Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over Team USA in the championship game Thursday.
“It’s been a great learning experience for me going to 4 Nations, being in that group of guys, that coaching staff, the Hockey Canada culture,” Hill said. “It was special.”
Saturday was Hill’s first start since he made 14 saves in the Knights’ 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 6. That’s a long time to be out of the net.
Coach Bruce Cassidy, who was an assistant on Team Canada’s staff, was caught in an interesting predicament. He wanted to look out for Hill while still focusing on doing the right thing for Canada’s chances of winning.
“I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself,” Cassidy said. “Those players earned the right to be there, so you have to separate a little bit from your own team and get ready.”
Hill was still tested plenty in practice. He spent his days at the event turning away shots from the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and other hockey greats. He learned a lot, even if he never got in a game.
“It’s something I’ll remember forever,” Hill said. “Getting to skate with those guys every day in practice was a treat. It was fun being on the ice with some of the best talent in the world.”
Cassidy said he’ll be cognizant of monitoring the workload of the three Knights skaters who played the full tournament: Captain Mark Stone, center Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin.
Hill is more of a wild card. He didn’t play, but was still part of an emotional best-on-best event. Cassidy asked Hill on the flight back to Las Vegas on Friday if he’d be ready to play against the Canucks. Hill showed the next day he was, stopping the last 26 shots he faced.
“He wanted to get back in the net,” Cassidy said. “He’s a competitive guy. We’ll see where it leads with his workload going forward.”
Representing his country was a dream for Hill. He could have a chance to do so again when NHL players return to the Winter Olympics in Italy in February.
Hill isn’t thinking that far ahead. He has said before he can only control what he can control. That starts with trying to help the Knights finish strong, and showing he can continue to be relied upon after tying his career high with his 35th start Saturday.
“I think (the 4 Nations Face-Off) was great for me,” Hill said. “It was a great time.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
