KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Life in the minor leagues.

Jake Hildebrand knows it all too well — and still loves it.

Hildebrand, a former Center Township resident, turns 27 in June. After a stellar career as a goaltender for the Michigan State University hockey team, he is in his fourth full season in the East Coast Hockey League.

This season marks the first time he's been with the same ECHL team for two years.

“I feel like I can finally relax, like I've got a home base,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand is sporting a 12-13-3 record and 3.58 goals-against average with the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings, a team currently in last place in its division. His save percentage is .888.

The 6-foot, 182-pound netminder played 46 games with Kalamazoo last season. He played 44 games for the Tulsa Oilers in 2017-18, 47 games for the Indy Fuel in the 2016-17 campaign.

The year his Michigan State hockey career ended, Hildebrand caught on with the ECHL's Allen (Texas) Americans and played a handful of games for them.

“I've been fortunate in that I've been the No. 1 goalie for every team I've been on,” Hildebrand said. “You look at hockey ... Every team has two goaltenders and there's only one net.

“You're battling for playing time all the time and you have to be consistent to keep it your net.”

Since leaving home to play junior hockey in high school, Hildebrand's dream has been to play in the NHL.

“That dream's not dead. It won't be dead as long as I'm still playing,” he said.

While he's played a lot, he's managed to stay healthy. Hildebrand missed five games with a concussion in 2018.

Besides that, he's been available for his team.

“My body feels great,” he said. “I've had no major injury that's set me back.”

While he's playing for a last-place team, Hildebrand said the moving around of players in the system is tougher to deal with than any talent differential on the ice.

The Wings are a minor league affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, who also have the AHL's Utica (N.Y.) franchise.

“Injuries happen higher up in the organization or someone moves up, gets traded, whatever, and it affects everybody's roster,” Hildebrand said. “Brennan Sanford is a forward on our team who played with me at Michigan State.

“He's been moved up and down (to Utica) four different times this year. That's tough to deal with, but it's why we all play. You're always hoping to get that chance.”

While Hildebrand is uncertain how much longer he'll wait for such an opportunity, he is already working on part of a new career. He's been coaching young goalies for nine years now.

“I've worked with kids anywhere from age 8 to 17,” he said. “I help coach with my (goaltending) coach, Shane Clifford, back in Pittsburgh during the offseason and I help out with some high school goalies in the Kalamazoo area.

“It's fun being able to pass along things I've learned. I definitely want to keep doing that.”

The Kalamazoo Wings have a goaltending coach of their own in Joel Martin, the franchise's all-time leader in wins.

“He's been great,” Hildebrand said of Martin. “Not many teams in this league even have a goalie coach. Jake (backup goalie Kielly) and I are fortunate that way.”

Hildebrand also feels fortunate to be playing in Kalamazoo, a hockey-crazed area that produces 4,000 or more fans to Wings' home games.

“The atmosphere is loud and exciting,” Hildebrand said. “I still love the game. I still believe in my abilities.

“I'm not ready to stop playing. Not at all.”