Jack Hillen 2010-11 SEASON REVIEW:

Jack Hillen

Date of birth: January 24, 1986 (2010-11 Season Age: 24/25)

Place of birth: Minnetonka, MN, USA
Height: 5'11
Weight: 200
Shooting Hand: Left
NHL Season: 3rd NHL season
Drafted: Undrafted 
Acquired: Signed as a College Free Agent by the Islanders in 2008

2010-11 Season Stats:
New York Islanders  NHL:  GP: 64  G: 4  A: 18  P: 22  PIM: 45

Short-Term Status: 

If he is retained, I could see him competing for a spot on the bottom pair. He has great offensive skill and if he his given limited responsibility he may flourish. He would be a very solid depth puck-mover for the Isles if brought back.

Long-Term Status: 
Jack Hillen's long-term future with the Islanders will be decided, just like his short-term future, this off-season as his contract is expiring and the Isles will have to decide whether or not to bring him back. If the Isles decide to hold onto him, I believe Jack is and will be a decent bottom-pairing defenseman who can play a very solid offensive style from the back-end.

Contract Status:

LENGTH: 2 YEAR(S)     VALUE: $1,050,000     TYPE: STANDARD     EXPIRY STATUS: RFA (2011) ****CONTRACT EXPIRES THIS OFF-SEASON****
SEASON	AHL SALARY	NHL SALARY	P. BONUSES	S. BONUS	CAP HIT
2009-10	$500,000	$500,000	$0	—	$525,000
2010-11	$550,000	$550,000	$0	—	$525,000

Review:

Jack Hillen's season started off with difficulty for the 25 year old defenseman as he was buried deep in the depth chart and for the first quarter of the season was stuck up in the press box for more games than not. Believe it or not, literally right after Jack Hillen's wife gave birth to their first child on December 31st his season changed dramatically. In the 22 games he was dressed in before his wife gave birth he only had 2 assists but in the 42 games after his wife gave birth he had 4 goals and 16 assists for a total of 20 points. You can't help but think that his sub-par play in the early part of the year was partially due to his wife's pregnancy mainly because the difference between his stats before and after the birth are incredibly different. If we see Jack Hillen play like he did in those 42 games after his son's birth consistently, I believe he has a chance to be a solid defenseman somewhere in the NHL. His play down the stretch was promising until he went down with an injury that kept him out the final 3 games of the year, yet his year should be considered a success. I really do feel as though he began to return to the type of play he had before he was hit with an Ovechkin slap shot in the jaw. I believe the Islanders will extend the $605K qualifying offer needed to retain his rights this summer.

Season Grade (A+ to F-): B-

Decent season that really improved after his son was born, which although is no excuse for his bad play in the early part of the year, it is definitely forgivable. His play was good but due to the fact that the Isles have many similar type defensemen coming up, Jack is going to have to continue that into training camp next September to earn a spot, of coarse depending on what's done with his contract this summer. 

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