The 6-6 stopper from Comox, B.C., was acquired by the Golden Knights on Monday from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a fourth-round pick (2024).
Hill will skate right into a crease pile and compete with Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson for the VGK starting gig.
Hill is very mobile for such a large goaltender, and he has a high compete level. At 26 he's entering his prime and has yet to show himself to be a No. 1 in the NHL.
The opportunities he's been given have been with poor teams. But Hill as still managed to put up solid numbers despite playing behind porous squads.
A career .908 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against over 74 NHL games shows Hill has promise. A number of questions immediately come to mind:
What would those numbers look like with a superior roster in front of him?
What will playing for a Bruce Cassidy coached team do to those numbers?
Can Hill carry the load and mental weight associated with taking the net of a contender on a consistent basis?
Every goalie says they want to be a No. 1 but until confronted with the prospect and given the opportunity to live the role, it's difficult to discern whether the player has the makeup for the job.
Hill posted a .906 save percentage and 2.66 goals against in 25 games played last season for the Sharks earning a 10-11-1 won-lost record.
