The Top of a Mountain: Sam Hillebrandt’s Journey from Florida to the World Juniors

Not long ago, Sam Hillebrandt was lying on a beach in Florida soaking in every moment of the offseason. Now, he’s in the tunnels of the Frölundaborg, in Gothenburg, Sweden, pedalling as fast as he can on a stationary bike.

 

Hillebrandt steps off the bike and wipes the sweat from his face — his body pulsing with adrenaline. He takes a deep breath, enjoying a brief but much-needed rest. The distant sound of skates sharpening and the hum of the ice resurfacer fill the extended hallways outside of his isolated workout space. 

 

The Frölundaborg is the official practice facility of Frölunda HC, one of Sweden’s most notable hockey organizations. But this time, it’s serving as one of the host rinks for the 2024 World Juniors, and Team USA has taken over the facility. In a matter of hours, the silence within the complex will be quickly replaced with a raucous Gothenburg crowd, eager to witness the United States and Czechia battle in the tournament’s preliminary round.

 

Hillebrandt steps back onto the bike, his breath still short, as he ramps up his pedalling once again. Suddenly, a familiar face appears beyond the makeshift fence that the Americans have assembled to provide the team with a dedicated warmup area. He looks up, relieved to see the team’s goalie coach, David Lassonde. 

 

“Get off the bike, you’re in the lineup tonight!” Lassonde instructs. “Go back to the hotel and get some rest.” 

 

Now energized with both shock and fear, Hillebrandt hastily collects his gear and races back to the hotel. Joining Team USA as the third goalie, he was fully prepared to watch every game from the stands. But now, he has been given a chance. And even though he knew it was unlikely that he would play, taking the ice as an official member of Team USA was more than enough.

 

“I couldn’t even nap,” Hillebrandt laughs. “I had so much adrenaline.” 

 

——————–

 

Ever since his hockey career unfolded, Hillebrandt has always been jostling for position within the ranks of American goalies. Growing up in Port Huron, Mich., Hillebrandt’s passion for the game was fueled by both internal and external competition.

 

Nestled just one hour north of Detroit on the shores of Lake Huron, Hillebrandt’s first taste of high-level hockey came when he joined Little Caesars, a historic AAA program which has seen the likes of Brian Rafalski, Jason Robertson and Luke Hughes pass through its development track. He became entrenched in an internal battle between the pipes at Little Caesars, sparring with his goalie partner, Trey Augustine.

 

“We butted heads because we were both so used to being ‘that guy’,” Hillebrandt says. “That’s when I realized that I needed to start working for everything.” 

 

Hillebrandt’s father, Jon, understood the process of being overlooked and fighting for playing time. The former professional goalie and 1990 New York Rangers draftee had suited up for teams all over the world, including Team USA at the 1994 Olympics. 

 

“At that age, you’re always kind of playing every other game. But whenever an important game came up, it would always go to the other guy,” he said.

 

Neither Hillebrandt or Augustine backed down from their internal competition — both in games and in practices. Each wanted the other to succeed, but they both wanted to play. 

 

In the end, Augustine secured the upper hand and, in so doing, later committed to playing with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). The USNTDP is widely regarded by many as the crown jewel for American-born players and a place that fast-tracks players with NHL aspirations. 

 

While Hillebrandt was undoubtedly overjoyed by the opportunity earned by his teammate, he couldn’t help but think about the future that awaited him. 

 

Hillebrandt felt as though he had missed his chance.

Hillebrandt’s patience had finally paid off after Augustine departed the Little Caesars program. He saw the ice a lot more, was the unanimous starting goalie for his age group and began to build more confidence in himself and his abilities.

 

However, just one year removed from getting his chance to build up a hockey resume in Michigan, his family seized an opportunity that they couldn’t turn down. A position opened up within his father’s paving company, one that would relocate them to Tampa Bay, Florida.

 

Despite moving to an entirely different part of the country, the Hillebrandts had laid the groundwork for Sam to join Florida’s AAA hockey program. Florida Alliance was considered to be one of the best teams in the country at the time, which provided a healthy dose of motivation along with a fresh start. 

 

The fresh start was a mirror image of his time in Michigan. Hillebrandt found himself second in line to Michael Chambre — another netminder who had already committed to the USNTDP. While already accustomed to being second in line, his frustrations only sunk deeper.

 

That frustration peaked when he didn’t hear his name called at the United States Hockey League draft that same year. Hillebrandt saw the USHL as another viable path to continue his pursuit of playing hockey at the collegiate level, before eventually joining hockey’s professional ranks, but he felt his options narrowing after failing to sign with a team in each year of his eligibility.

 

“I went in wanting to prove people wrong, wanting to prove to people what they were missing out on,” Hillebrandt says. “But what upset me the most was seeing taller goalies, goalies who really didn’t have great years, get taken over me.”

 

Standing under six feet at the time, Hillebrandt will never truly know if his height had anything to do with him missing out on his next opportunity. Maybe it was the fact he consistently found himself playing second fiddle to more established goalies. Maybe it was the fact he didn’t play well enough in the opportunities he was provided. Maybe it was the fact he felt nobody within USA Hockey even knew his name. 

 

He felt as though he had missed another chance. 

Through the offseason, Hillebrandt spent the scorching summer months weighing his options. After travelling to a handful of USHL camps and finding little to no success, he finally caught a break near the tail end of the summer. Rob Stewart, the former Assistant General Manager with the Barrie Colts, had seen him play at a tournament in Buffalo. Stewart decided to give him a shot with an invitation to the Colts development camp.

 

Hillebrandt’s first point of contact was Dave Belitski, the Colts goaltending coach and former professional netminder who had helped a number of CHL goalies reach the next level. Belitski was intrigued by the possibility of adding another goalie to the fold. He promptly asked Hillebrandt to travel to Barrie a day early to get a private lesson in before development camp officially began. 

 

“I kind of set it up just so I could take a look at him,” Belitski says. “But I was very impressed. I could tell right away that he had the maturity and the ability to juggle a lot of things.”

 

That first private lesson put Hillebrandt on the path for success.

 

He had performed well enough at development camp that he earned an invitation to the Colts main training camp at the beginning of September — extending his stay in Barrie. The team had just traded for Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton, but even with the starting position solidified, Hillebrandt set his sights on making the team.

 

Training camp was set to conclude with an annual scrimmage. As the final day of training camp approached, Hillebrandt was enjoying a meal at East Side Mario’s alongside his dad, savouring the lasting moments of another cross country hockey journey. Through the pasta and breadsticks, he felt his heart drop.

 

While scrolling on social media, he saw that the Colts had signed free agent goaltender Ben West. The Colts tandem was set.

 

“I was pretty rattled. At the time, they didn’t have a second goalie so I came in trying to win that job,” Hillebrandt says. “So my dad and I had the idea of just playing the game and then hitting the road right after.”

 

He felt as though he had missed yet another chance. 

As a final sign of courtesy, Hillebrandt reached out to Belitski informing him that following the conclusion of training camp, he and his father would be immediately hitting the road for the airport. Expecting nothing short of a cliché “thank you” in reply, Hillebrandt thought nothing of his initial message. 

 

Instead, Belitski suggested that the three of them meet for coffee at the Starbucks across the street from the arena. Skeptical of the thought of a meeting, Hillebrandt walked through the familiar modern architecture, glancing at the unobstructed view of Sadlon Arena looming in the distance. Belitski did most of the talking. 

 

“Just trust me on this one, go out there and do your thing,” he says calmly. “In junior hockey, you never know what can happen.”

 

Hillebrandt took it to heart. He entered the scrimmage and didn’t allow a goal, facing more than 20 shots in one period. At one point, unbeknownst to Hillebrandt, Colts head coach Marty Williamson approached Belitski in the middle of the scrimmage wondering if and how the team could carry three goalies. 

 

Following the scrimmage, players congregated around the coaches’ office for their exit interviews. For the vast majority of them, they would receive a handshake and some instruction on how to improve ahead of next season, before being sent back to their junior teams ahead of the new season. Hillebrandt feared that he would meet the same fate, except he had a much further commute home.

 

Joining the back of an endless line, Hillebrandt suddenly saw Belitski’s face peeking out from the line of teenagers. He dragged Hillebrandt out from the line, explaining that he was next.

 

“It was so awkward just walking by everybody,” Hillebrandt admits.

 

He sat down facing Williamson in a cramped coaches’ office, paperwork strewn across each of the desks in the windowless room — the steady hum of a mini fridge cut through the silence. 

 

“‘We think you’re going to play pro,’” Williamson utters. “‘We want to offer you a contract.’”

The news hit Hillebrandt hard. Mere hours earlier, he was fantasizing about returning to the warm beaches of Florida, and now he was putting pen to paper. He belonged to a junior team — one that wanted him there.

 

Hillebrandt admits the funniest part of the process was getting to share the news with his mom back home. “When we were at the airport leaving, she said ‘OK, see you guys Monday!’” he laughs. Hillebrandt did not go back to Florida on Monday.

 

Reality quickly set back in. Since he never prepared to stay in Barrie for long, he had only packed an eclectic collection of shorts and T-shirts, leaving him wildly unprepared for the cold months ahead. To complicate matters, his billet house was only seen as a temporary measure. This forced him to spend his first few days living in an empty basement, using his suitcase as a closet and dresser. 

 

As the season drew closer, the Colts finalized their game plan. Thanks largely in part to the relentless efforts of Belitski, the Colts were planning on carrying three netminders into the season. Anson Thornton and Ben West would dress almost every night, providing Hillebrandt to use the season and the team’s resources to build up his game. The Colts saw him as the future and wanted to get him as acclimated as possible to the grind of the OHL season.

 

“I’ve always had the ‘prove you wrong’ mentality. Being told I was the third goalie, I took that in as an opportunity to work my way up,” Hillebrandt says. “Coming in every single day knowing that I wasn’t going to get cut if I had a bad day was massive.”

 

Despite playing behind two other goalies and often standing off to the side during drills in practice, Hillebrandt embraced the opportunity to work with Belitski one-on-one. He consistently stayed late after practice to further work on his game. He often asked some of the team’s NHL prospects to take shots on him. He never turned down an opportunity to improve.

 

When the days felt long and frustration built up, Hillebrandt relied on his support system to remind him of his purpose.

 

“‘You signed up for this, we talked about this,’” his father often says. “‘They have it mapped out and they want you fully immersed in this.’”

The Colts plan to keep Hillebrandt with the team centered around a handful of vital elements. They wanted him to get used to the lifestyle of coming to the rink everyday and they wanted him to take advantage of the time he had to get better. Part of that plan was designed by Belitski. When Hillebrandt travelled with the team on the road, he encouraged him to sit in the press box alongside him so they could study how plays develop and analyze positioning. 

 

As committed as Hillebrandt was to getting better, Belitski matched that energy.

 

“Dave was super important,” Hillebrandt explains. “Being able to take the whole rink in from up top, it was incredible.”

 

Another vital aspect of the Colts plan for the future was getting Hillebrandt into games where they could. There was little to no opportunity at the OHL level, so the team had to look elsewhere to get Hillebrandt into game action.

 

The answer came from the Stayner Siskins Jr. C organization. Situated just 30 minutes west of Barrie, Stayner became yet another hockey pit stop for Hillebrandt as he continued his on-ice work.

 

Growing up in Michigan, the people and the weather that were housed in Barrie weren’t unfamiliar to Hillebrandt. However, driving into Stayner and seeing its “population 4000” sign was a completely different conversation.

 

“Seeing farmland and then downtown, which is just one road stretching for about 500 yards, was something else,” Hillebrandt says with a smile. “You pull up to the community centre that holds maybe 300 people and it’s just way different. I never would’ve thought that an ice rink could look like that.”

 

Hillebrandt went undefeated in six games with the team.

 

Through the tribulations of the season, Hillebrandt grew accustomed to his routine. He knew he was in it for the long haul and he had the resources to support him through that journey. However, the biggest takeaway from his rookie season is trust, and how he needs to extend it to people to get better.

 

“You have to come in everyday and get better. I was somewhat mentally tough, but what hit me the most was having a couple extra guys early on in the season, and seeing them be sent home,” he says. “This isn’t minor hockey where you can goof off away from the rink. Everything you do now is to get better and keep your spot.”

 

As the twilight descended on his rookie season, Hillebrandt had seen just three games of OHL action. Yet, he was more convinced than ever that the Colts had executed their plan flawlessly. 

Sam the man bursts onto the scene! 💥

Seventeen-year-old Floridian Sam Hillebrandt came up big in his #OHL debut on Friday, putting up the @RealCdnSS #SaveoftheNight in an @OHLBarrieColts win 🎥 pic.twitter.com/86XNSMtkNW

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) December 17, 2022

In late November 2023, the Colts were shut out on home ice at the hands of the Owen Sound Attack. It was a new season and the bulk of the team’s offense had graduated to the professional ranks. In goal, Anson Thornton had joined the Coyotes organization full time, and Hillebrandt had joined Ben West in splitting starts to begin the season. The Colts were shifting through a changing of the guard and they were still experiencing the growing pains that accompanied it. 

 

As the final horn sounded, Hillebrandt stepped onto the ice to offer some words of encouragement to his goalie partner before hustling into the room to begin his recovery. He had watched the whole game from the bench and was eager to get home and rest. 

 

After being joined in his car by his teammate Jack Brauti, his phone rang. A phone call right after a game was, by any means, a rare occasion as Hillebrandt would usually talk to his parents when he arrived home. After convincing Brauti to stop talking, he answered.

 

It was David Lassonde, USA Hockey’s goaltending coach.

 

He called to inform Hillebrandt that he had been invited to USA Hockey’s World Junior Selection Camp in Plymouth, Michigan. It was a quick call, but after talking about the details regarding passports, Hillebrandt lost it. 

 

After convincing Brauti to keep the news under wraps for now, he raced home so fast that he received a speeding ticket.

 

“I felt invincible,” he laughs. “My parents kept asking about ‘what else’ but I didn’t really know anything else.”

 

Aside from being invited to USA Hockey’s National Goaltending Camp over the offseason, Hillebrandt never would’ve guessed that he would even be on their radar. He had it in the back of his mind, but he never truly believed it was possible.

 

“I think if you ask him, honestly, I don’t think he expected it,” Jon said. “For him to be able to have that opportunity, everything else is beyond crazy.”

 

A week had passed since his official camp invite, and Hillebrandt was waiting to hear from USA Hockey’s General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck. He had spent the majority of the week pacing around his room, struggling to focus on anything else. 

 

Suddenly, a text notification popped up on his phone. It was a request from Vanbiesbrouck asking Hillebrandt to call him. On the call, Vanbiesbrouck explained USA Hockey’s plan. The program had invited three goalies to the World Junior selection camp. However, no goalie was going to be cut. The three goalies invited to camp were the three goalies going to Sweden as part of the team.

 

“He must’ve thought I was an idiot with how many times I was asking him to clarify, how many times I was rewording the same questions over and over,” Hillebrandt laughs. 

 

Some 2,000 kilometres away, Hillebrandt’s parents were on their way to Disney World, where they are annual members. Sam called them and explained the situation, still stuttering through his explanation. 

 

“I’m really sorry, but you guys have to go buy tickets to Sweden. We’re all going,” he says.

 

According to Jon, the rest of the conversation was a blur. Tears followed, and while they tried to enjoy the rest of the day at Disney, they went home shortly after.

Given Hillebrandt rarely participated in USA Hockey events before selection camp, he didn’t have many contacts of the players on the current roster. He first reached out to Jacob Fowler, a Montreal Canadiens goaltending prospect and a familiar face from Florida who had played within the Alliance organization. 

 

Respectfully, Fowler was just as shocked that Hillebrandt had cracked the roster.

 

When he arrived at camp, Hillebrandt also reconnected with another old friend, reuniting with Trey Augustine. Now a standout at Michigan State University, the Detroit Red Wings had since drafted his former minor hockey teammate.

 

“I had the mindset that they were going to be like ‘who is this guy?’ and just stay away from me,” Hillebrandt says. “But they took me in incredibly well. Even at camp, I was trying to unpack my bag and guys were coming up to me and introducing themselves. They all wanted to hear my story since nobody had really heard of me.”

 

Looking back, he was relieved at how his American teammates handled themselves. Something that he should’ve known, but a relief nonetheless.

 

European life came quickly and abruptly for Hillebrandt. After getting stuck in the dreaded middle seat on the long flight overseas, he joined his teammates for a quick skate after landing. 

 

Everything just felt bigger. The ice surface was larger, leaving more room for skating and passing. Compared to the smaller sheets of ice in North America, there was a sudden abundance of space, providing gifted playmakers with the option to make an extra pass instead of shooting.

 

Before he left, Hillebrandt had asked Belitski about European hockey culture. Having played overseas for nearly a decade, Belitski emphasized the abundance of extra space, among other things. It still caught Hillebrandt off guard.

 

The differences in living plateaued when Hillebrandt caught strep throat within days of landing in Sweden. After sharing a room with his fellow Floridian in Fowler, Hillebrandt had to be kept in a room by himself. He realized very quickly that Swedish beds were absolutely tiny.

 

“The first night, I woke up in the middle of the night to grab my phone, and I fell out of bed,” Hillebrandt laughs. “I ended up pushing both beds together to make a regular sized bed.”

 

While Hillebrandt never played in a game at the tournament, he found other ways to make his mark. After Augustine caught an illness prior to their preliminary round game against Czechia, Hillebrandt watched fully dressed from the bench, as each team traded blows. 

 

Enjoying his front-row seat, Hillebrandt watched as defenseman Ryan Chesley crept in from the point and wired a one-timer past Michael Hrabal to the game at three late in the second period.

 

Neither team would find the back of the net again until the shootout.

 

Former Barrie Colts forward Eduard Šalé was a standout on the Czechia junior national team. Before the shootout even began, Hillebrandt knew that it was only a matter of time before his teammate climbed over the boards.

 

Knowing Šalé well, having seen and faced him a number of times back in Barrie, Hillebrandt made sure to pull Fowler aside and explain Šalé’s signature moves.

 

Fowler gave him an expression of doubt. 

 

Unsurprisingly, Šalé soon glided out to centre ice as Czechia’s second shooter. As he weaved towards Fowler, he replicated exactly what Hillebrandt had predicted and was denied, allowing the two Floridians to joke about the exchange. 

 

When he wasn’t offering tips to his teammates, Hillebrandt watched most of the games in a suit from the stands, relishing every moment he could. Being amongst some of the best players in the world opened his eyes to just how far he had come in his own hockey journey. He observed more than anything, watching intently on how good players differentiated themselves from great ones.

 

He also spent time reconnecting with familiar faces and building new relationships. In addition to him and Fowler, the state of Florida and the Alliance organization was well represented at the tournament. New Jersey Devils 2022 draftee Seamus Casey and Columbus Blue Jackets top prospect Gavin Brindley were also proudly representing the program, providing more common ground for Hillebrandt than he previously thought.

 

What caught his eye the most, however, was the emphasis of professionalism in which USA Hockey instilled even before selection camp — a true testament to the culture and growth the program has seen over recent years.

 

“Everything anyone is doing is to get better at hockey. As the third guy, sometimes I was going to grab a bite to eat and would ask if anyone wanted to join,” Hillebrandt explains. “But they always said they were staying in. And that’s where it hit me that I needed to follow their lead. I wasn’t going to get a bite to eat, I was going to stay in and recover and do something to get better at hockey.”

 

The families of the team exuded the same positive attitudes. Despite never being included within the USNTDP, the contingent of families that had also made the trip overseas embraced the Hillebrandts.

 

“Everybody was very welcoming and there to have a good time,” Jon says with relief. “It was at times surreal. I’m sitting here at the gold medal game in Sweden, and I’m like, ‘Is this really happening?’”

 

If anything, the trip to Sweden represented the top of a mountain for Hillebrandt. To finally be recognized by USA Hockey is an accomplishment in itself, but to grace the international stage after years of playing in the shadows of others made the moments even more memorable. For now, he wasn’t thinking about playing time or earning his next opportunity. For now, he wasn’t thinking about what was next. For now, he pressed pause on his dreams of higher aspirations.

 

For the first time, he felt seen. 

After the Americans punched their ticket to the gold medal game, Hillebrandt and the other non-dressed players waited near the dressing room, a common part of the routine if you didn’t see your name in the lineup. Set off to the side, within the dedicated room for the team’s non-dressed, laid their Team USA jerseys along with all of their equipment.

 

Confused, Hillebrandt asked one of the trainers what the deal was. It wasn’t standard protocol to have everyone’s gear laid out prior to the game, especially if you weren’t in the lineup.

 

“When we win tonight, you’re going to get dressed and you’re going on the ice to celebrate,” the staffer says.

 

As time ticked off the clock and with the Americans up big over Sweden, Hillebrandt raced down to the dressing room to put his gear on. This time, he didn’t feel like he was wearing a suit. He felt invincible. 

 

“Being able to throw my glove up in the air as high as I could was special. The team treated me like I had just played the entire game,” he says. “I’ve never gotten dressed so fast in my entire life.”