Hill Excited To Share Net With Former Classmate Thompson

On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks interrupted Adin Hill’s nine-hole golf outing in Calgary. Hill was traded to the Golden Knights for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The news comes not only after the team announced that Robin Lehner would miss the entire 2022-23 season with a hip injury, but after general manager Kelly McCrimmon stated that the VGK would roll with Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson as the team’s tandem.

“I know we talked last week about our goaltending being Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit, and it’s just an example of how quickly things can change in our business,” said McCrimmon.

So it looks like Brossoit, who also had offseason hip surgery, will not be 100% to start training camp or potentially the regular season. This leaves the Golden Knights with Hill and Thompson in net, a tandem that goes way back.

“I’ve actually known Logan Thompson for a very long time. Back in the day in Calgary, we went to the same middle school, so we have known each other since we were about ten years old,” said Hill.

Both are from Western Canada with Hill hailing from Comox, British Columbia, and Thompson from Calgary, Alberta. They are both products of Blackfoot MHA, who also gave the NHL Brayden Point, Brandon Kozun, Taro Hirose, and Austin Wagner.

“I can always say that some of the best goalie competitions I have had is when you are friends off the ice, and you compete on the ice. It makes it a lot more fun, and hopefully, at the end of the day, we push each other to be better, and it results in team success,” Hill added.

In terms of play style, Hill is 6-foot-6, 217 pounds, making him one of the biggest goaltenders in the league. His own description of his play style sounds an awful lot like Lehner’s play style, which is fitting in some regard. Hill says his play style is similar to that of Pekka Rinne and also said that he idolized Marc-Andre Fleury growing up.

“I feel like I’m a bigger goalie in the net and play in a little deeper. I’ll try and make the reads off plays when I need to. I feel like I am a fast and athletic goalie that can make desperation saves when needed,” said Hill.

Last season Hill missed parts of the second half of the season with the Sharks due to a lower-body injury which he says is fully recovered.

“I feel confident in my play. Last year I got hit with the injury bug there for a while, so that kept me out of the lineup for the second half of the year. That kind of sucked, but I feel fully healthy right now, and I’m ready to go,” said Hill.

Perhaps the biggest thing Hill will need to change for the upcoming season is his getup. I think it would be taboo for him to even think about wearing his Sharks pads with a Golden Knights jersey. Luckily, Hill has got it covered and says his brother and father will design his new gear as they have done in the past. He has some ideas for designs but wants to keep them a secret for now.