Knights goalie accomplished ‘big goal’ this season, but still wants more

Adin Hill checked a lot of boxes this season.

He proved he can stay healthy. He proved he can handle the workload of a No. 1 goaltender. That was enough for the Golden Knights to commit to him, giving him a six-year, $37.5 million extension in March.

Much of Hill’s season was defined by how he played physically in net. He won 32 games in a career-high 50 starts with a 2.47 goals-against average.

But his mental game was tested just as much. His previous career high in appearances was 35.

“The season’s long,” Hill said.

Hill, 29, admitted he put a lot of pressure on himself coming into the year.

He knew he was on an expiring contract. He knew he had a chance to play for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

It led to uneven results early on. He had an .894 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average after his first 16 starts. He still made Team Canada and began to settle down in December.

He went 22-9-3 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average the rest of the regular season, earning a new deal in the process.

“You’re going to have stretches where you think you could be a little bit better. You’re going to have stretches where you feel like you’re on top of the world,” Hill said. “I think it’s just kind of having that even-keeled mind and just staying even, kind of riding the ebbs and flows of the season.”

‘I never felt worn down’

Hill’s goal was to start 50 games.

He wanted to show he could be reliable throughout a full regular season, even though he proved his mettle in the playoffs during the Knights’ Stanley Cup run in 2023.

“That was a big goal of mine,” Hill said. “But the biggest goal we didn’t accomplish, so that kind of obviously sucks.”

Hill was plagued by lower-body injuries his first two years with the Knights after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in August 2022 for a fourth-round pick.

He spent last offseason strengthening his core with different routines and drills. It paid off.

“I never felt worn down. I feel like I could still play for, what would it be, another month? That would be nice,” Hill said. “I felt like my compete and battle was there all season. I think any new way I can try and get better over the summer, I’ll find those ways. I feel like what I did last summer benefited me a lot.”

Standing his ground

Hill tends to stay calm and level headed in net unless he’s provoked.

That’s what happened in Game 4 of the Knights’ second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers this year.

The Oilers made it a point to get in Hill’s crease in the first period in an attempt to get him off his game.

He didn’t back down. He shoved Oilers right wing Zach Hyman after one shift. Hill later took part in a scrum when Edmonton right wing Evander Kane ran into him after being cross-checked by defenseman Brayden McNabb.

“I’m not going to let them walk over me,” Hill said. “I’ve never found that a distraction to my game. I’ve never found that I won’t make the next save because of that or anything. I feel I can separate my mind from that moment to when the next shot comes.”

Hill did made 29 saves in Game 4, but the Knights lost 3-0. He made another 32 saves in Game 5 and pitched a shutout in regulation. The Knights couldn’t score, however, and lost 1-0 in overtime to end the series.

Ebbs and flows

Hill struggled at times this postseason. He gave up 33 goals in 11 starts.

Not everything was his fault. Poor turnovers by his teammates put him in a bind at different points. But other times he failed to come up with a save when the Knights needed one.

He gave up three goals in the second period in Game 2 against the Oilers, for instance, with two of them coming from long range.

“I felt like, both series, there’s definitely a couple of goals here and there that I would want back,” Hill said. “I guess every goalie would probably say that over the course of a series.”

Hill got better as the Knights’ matchups with the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton went on.

He won his last three starts in the first round, making 29 saves in Game 6 against the Wild to help his team advance. He made timely saves to give the Knights a chance in their final two games against the Oilers.

The team just didn’t score enough to extend the series.

Needing to be better

Coach Bruce Cassidy said judging Hill by his .887 save percentage in the playoffs is probably unfair.

But he acknowledged there were times his goaltender could have stepped up.

“Did Adin need to be better in the series? Yes. Just like a lot of guys,” Cassidy said. “They shut us out the last two games. What if the script was flipped? We wouldn’t be doing this right now if we shut them out. Is that on Adin? No, but that’s what happened to us, so it can go the other way.

“We didn’t lose because of Adin Hill. I’m not putting that on him. I’m just saying, in general, that was a piece of the game that needed to be better at times.”

Hill now heads into the offseason with his future secured. He and his longtime girlfriend McKenna even closed on a house after he signed his extension.

His only focus moving forward is lifting the Stanley Cup again.

“It’s nice to get that contract and have the team believe I am their goalie of the future,” Hill said. “We’ve got to do whatever we can in this locker room to get back to where we were two years ago and stay there.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.