Having gone undrafted, Dillon return to Seattle of the Western Hockey League and began to remake his game under head coach Rob Sumner and assistant coach Turner Stevenson.
“I developed my overall game,” he said. “I realized I was going to have to hit a few people, fight a few people.”
At the conclusion of his junior career, Dillon hit and ought enough people to catch the eye of the Dallas Stars management, which signed him as a free agent. His first stop would be in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars. He appeared in 10 games for the AHL affiliate to conclude the 2010-11 campaign. The following season he played 76 games for Texas when late in the season he got the call up he’d been fighting years for.
And on April 7, 2012, against the St. Louis Blues, Dillon got his one NHL game. But true to form, he didn’t just stop there.
“That’s what I was told at a young age, too, you don’t just want to get there, you want to stay there. That stuck with me,” he said. “Going through that summer, I just wanted my second game, my third game, to get a taste of what NHL playoffs is like, to get a taste of what playing long into the playoffs is like.”
Dillon would play 48 games in the 2012-13 season with Dallas while splitting time between the NHL and AHL. But in 2013-14, he finally earned his place, appearing in 80 contests with Dallas and never looking back.
Now, 14 years later and with stops in Dallas, San Jose, Washington, Winnipeg and New Jersey, Dillon turned that one game into 1,000. Along the way he collected 42 goals, 179 assists, 221 points, 942 penalty minutes and a plus-70.
“I’d like to think I earned everything. I had to play better than the first-round pick. I had to play better than the guy that tried to earn my spot,” he said. “Here we are almost 20 years later. I’m very fortunate and wouldn’t change it for the world. All the hardships and tough days, it’s really hard to say you had a bad day when you’re playing in this league.”
And while he certainly earned his keep, Dillon didn’t do it alone.
“It’ll be nice to sit back and reflect on the people that have helped me along the way,” he said. “We’d be here all day if listed every name from minor hockey, growing up in Surrey, going away to junior hockey and moving away from your parents and your family, the billet family you live with, the coaches in pro when I got there, every step and every level there are so many people that make this. And there’s fortunate things, too. I’ve been so lucky and fortunate.”
For a guy that didn’t know if he’d get one game, to be at 1,000 is a testament to his work ethic, his determination, his belief and his resilience.
“That’s all I wanted from being undrafted was try to earn respect,” Dillon said. “That starts every day in practice. That starts in training camp at the beginning of the season, that starts with your first off-season workout, first off-season ice session. I take a lot of pride in that stuff too and taking care of myself away from the rink. It’s hard. Then you throw a couple kids into the mix and that extra 30-minute stretch session you want to get into is an extra 30 minutes of bedtime routine for them.”
For the consummate pro and ultimate team player, one night was all about him. And he couldn’t be more grateful.
“The biggest thing I tell all kids is don’t ever take a day for granted,” he said. “I love coming to the rink. Guys have been so amazing everywhere I’ve played. I’ve had just as much fun hooting and hollering and practicing, the grind of the travel and getting in late. I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love being a hockey player every day.
“Hockey has given me everything.”
