Becoming an IceHog
CENTER TWP — Jake Hildebrand has already enjoyed a run to a championship.
Now he’s continuing his run toward the National Hockey League.
The 23-year-old goaltender from Center Township signed a contract with the Rockford (Ill.) IceHogs of the American Hockey League this summer. Hildebrand helped the Allen (Texas) Americans win the ECHL’s Kelly Cup three months ago.
“That was a great experience,” Hildebrand said. “I got to play a couple of games in the finals. It was a great way to experience professional hockey for the first time.”
A four-year starter and first four-time team MVP in Michigan State University hockey history, Hildebrand signed with the Americans shortly after his final collegiate season ended. He was 5-1 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .925 save percentage in the regular season.
He saw action in eight playoff games, sporting a 3-2 record with a 3.49 goals-against.
“I was going to alternate games in the playoffs with the other goalie (Riley Gill), but he got really hot and they stayed with him,” Hildebrand said. “He got hurt and I got back in there for part of the finals.”
Gill won 12 playoff games and had a 2.35 goals against average in the playoffs. Now Hildebrand will be competing for time with two other goaltenders in Rockford — 6-foot-3 netminders Eric Levine and Mac Carruth. Both had GAA’s of 2.30 with their respective teams last year.
Hildebrand stands 5-foot-11.
Welcome to pro hockey.
“If I don’t stay with Rockford and get sent back down to the ECHL, I’ll try to work my way back up,” Hildebrand said. “It’s all about development.
“Everybody wants to get on the fast track, but becoming a good pro is a work in progress. I have to play consistently well. You never know who might be watching or scouting a particular game.”
The IceHogs are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Hildebrand’s contract is with the Rockford club, not the Blackhawks.
Hildebrand will be participating in a rookie tournament for Rockford and the Blackhawks — a competition involving rookies from eight NHL teams — in Traverse City, Mich., beginning Sept. 16. From there, he will report to the Blackhawks’ training camp before starting the season in Rockford.
“I’m going to have opportunities to show what I can do,” he said.
The Blackhawks have four goalies under contract, including Corey Crawford and his backup with the big club, along with Levine and Carruth.
“The competition is there. But this is where I have to prove myself,” Hildebrand admitted. “There’s definitely added pressure now, a different feel to every game.
“I loved playing at Michigan State. Now I’m fighting for my career.”
