Sometimes opportunity comes and knocks from a galaxy far, far away. That was the case when the Philadelphia Flyers reached out to the representatives of Barrie Colts goalie Sam Hillebrandt to offer the 19-year-old an invite to rookie camp, which later extended into the early days of training camp.
Hillebrandt, who won a gold medal in the 2024 World Junior Championships as USA’s No. 3 goalie behind Trey Augustine and Jacob Fowler, was heading over to the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI., earlier this summer when he got the call.
“I was on my way to the World Junior Summer Showcase, and my goalie coach and agent had reached out saying I was offered a camp invite to Philadelphia’s rookie camp,” Hillebrandt told Philly Hockey Now. “And that if I played well enough, there would possibly be an opening for main camp.”
The undrafted goalie prospect did play well enough to stick around for main camp, which was an experience in and of itself.
That means Hillebrandt watched his new teammates go through the infamous skate test, a brutal mental and physical conditioning program concocted by none other than Flyers head coach John Tortorella.
“I mean, obviously you hear stories about them,” Hillebrandt recalled with a smile. “Very high tempo, but goalies didn’t have to do the rope skate. So, we just had a VO2 Max test, and then we had a little goalie bag skate.”
As for the skaters, Hillebrandt was admittedly impressed by all the high-level forwards and defensemen the Flyers have.
Jumping straight from the OHL to an NHL training camp isn’t an easy adjustment, but the teenager was only out to prove that he belonged with the rest of the crowd on the ice.
“I mean, it’s obviously way different speed-wise, compared to even going from rookie camp to main camp. The speed and skill level obviously jumps up with all the NHL guys being here,” Hillebrandt assessed. “But I mean, after that first scrimmage, I feel like I settled in pretty well into that second scrimmage, learning what to expect now.
“You come from playing juniors, and obviously not being drafted, you want to come into a camp like this and have a chip on your shoulder and kind of show everybody why you kind of belong in a camp like this. And seeing all those high-end players, and you see some of them in the junior levels, it’s pretty special what they can do.”
Given his young age, the next steps in Hillebrandt’s career are big ones, and they both come this year.
Hillebrandt will first have to build on his 2023-24 campaign with Barrie, in which he went 16-15-2 with a .899 save percentage.
Then, the youngster will have to secure his place as the backup to Augustine for Team USA in the upcoming 2025 World Junior Championships. Hillebrandt will need to ward off competition from 2023 draft picks Carsen Musser and Hampton Slukynsky, as well as 2024 fourth-round pick Nicolas Kempf.
“That’s the plan. I mean, they invited five goalies to the summer showcase they had this summer,” Hillebrandt said. “Hopefully, I can get off to a hot start with Barrie this year and give myself a chance to get some ice time at the tournament.”
The Flyers’ invitee will be heading into his 2024-25 season with some carryover momentum from the Flyers camps, but also from an eye-opening 2024 postseason run with the Colts.
In five playoff games, Hillebrandt went 2-2-1 with a 2.48 GAA, a .938 save percentage, and one shutout.
The pressure of the playoffs and big games don’t change anything for Hillebrandt, whose goal is to always be Mr. Reliable for his team once the puck drops.
“I like to say I’m always giving it my best and best before, no matter what kind of scenarios, practice or game,” he said. “But, obviously, I would like to say the bigger the game I feel like, the bigger I perform.”
Despite being amongst the Flyers’ first training camp roster cuts, Hillebrandt was able to bond with some of the Flyers during his short time in Voorhees, N.J.
Fellow goalie Carson Bjarnason, a 2023 second-round pick who was also cut after participating in his second camp, was able to share his experiences and talk about life living in the area during the summer.
OHL opponents Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Jett Luchanko were familiar faces and easy guys to talk to, as was roommate Matteo Mann.
Admittedly a “big Star Wars guy”, it would appear the Force has followed Hillebrandt back to Barrie. In his two games since returning from the Flyers, Hillebrandt is 1-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .936 save percentage.
For a player with NHL aspirations, Hillebrandt is working hard and doing all the right things. If he can successfully bank a strong campaign with the Colts, Hillebrandt should have a good feeling about his future in the pros.
“My favorite character is General Grievous, and I’ve always put that somewhere on my helmet. Some I just have personally. Me and my grandmother always watch it, so, just a little touch on my helmet.”
