Alumni Check-in: Hildebrand off to solid start in Bemidji State

Hildebrand also got to step into the dressing room in Saskatoon to read off the starting lineup for the night and cheer on the guys against the team for which his dad, Steve, is the Assistant General Manager. Now that Hildebrand isn’t playing for the Raiders, he said there’s a fun rivalry in the family.

“My favourite thing about playing here was just the connection I made with all my teammates, and it’s really good just to hang around the rink and then to watch them get a big win against my dad is a nice little touch too.” He added with a laugh. “I think maybe my sister and mom are with me on the same page too, and definitely wasn’t like that growing up.”

Cheering on his former team is far from the only thing Hildebrand has done this year, though. In his first year in Minnesota with the Bemidji State Beavers in NCAA Div. I, the Beavers are sitting second in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Conference with a record of 9-8-3 (W-L-OTL) on the year.

Hildebrand has had half of the 20 starts this year, with a personal record of 4-5-1 on the year, including a shutout, a 0.888 save percentage, and a 3.00 goals against average. He said that the biggest change has been in the amount of playing time he has. With only 10 appearances so far this year, at this point last season, Hildebrand had already played in 23 games.

“Obviously, playing a lot less games as a team, every game means so much more in college hockey, and it’s always a playoff-type vibe every game, and it’s always 100%. It’s not like you’re playing a Wednesday night in Swift Current or Moose Jaw or stuff like that. Every game is a playoff-type atmosphere, and you have to stay ready and keep the body prepared each and every game.”

With some players making the jump to NCAA early, Hildebrand is happy that his hockey career has taken him through the WHL first to get to the college leagues. While players may be looking to take that next step to what they see as more competitive hockey, Hildebrand believes that taking his time to go through the WHL helped develop him into the goaltender he needed to be in college hockey.

“Just make sure it’s the right fit for you and maybe where you’re going to get some playing time. Everyone’s different, right? Some guys want to go early. For me, I would always pick to stay in the Western League as long as possible, but everyone’s different, and everyone learns and excels at different levels. So honestly, everyone’s situation is different, so just find the right fit.”

This season for the Raiders, a lot has been made of the connection the players share with each other and how that has contributed to the team’s success. Hildebrand believes that some of the groundwork for this year’s Raiders was laid out by last year’s team and their leadership, but he also believes that it’s been building within the organization long before Hildebrand was a Raider.

“I think at the start of the year last year, we went through a lot of adversity, which helped us a lot and helped our young guys gain a lot of experience, and then obviously that playoff run too helped a lot with the younger guys. But a lot of those guys returning, the groundwork with all that stuff within the dressing room started long before I came to PA and hearing stories from that championship run still, that’s kind of where it all began and just the culture around this organization.”

Hildebrand and the Bemidji State Beavers are off the ice until January 2, when they play host to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in an exhibition game. Their season resumes with a home weekend against conference rival the Michigan Tech Huskies on the weekend of January 9 and 10.

by Nick Nielsen

Alumni Check-in: Hildebrand off to solid start in Bemidji State

What's Trending