Colton Gillies

Colton Gillies
Born	February 12, 1989 White Rock, BC, CAN
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
AHL team Former teams	Bridgeport Sound Tigers Minnesota Wild Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL Draft	16th overall, 2007 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2008–present

Colton Gillies (born February 12, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is currently playing for the Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (16th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.^[1] He was claimed of off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 14, 2012.

Playing career

Gillies was the second overall pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2004 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft.^[2] Gillies spent parts of four seasons with the Blades, but the team struggled and consequently Gillies played in only 10 playoff games during his major junior career. Still, he gained attention with his strong physical and two-way play, and was selected to represent Canada at the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships in Finland, where Canada finished a disappointing 4th overall. That summer he was selected in the first round of the NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild, who traded up three spots in the draft in order to pick Gillies 16th overall.^[3] Gillies was named captain of the Blades during the 2007-08 season and again represented his country at the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic where he helped Canada to its fourth consecutive gold medal at the tournament.^[2]

Late in the 2007-08 season Gillies made his professional debut with the Wild's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Houston Aeros. He managed 8 points in 11 games with the team. That fall he cracked the Wild roster out of training camp and went on to play 45 games for the team during the 2008-09 season. Gillies recorded his first career point, an assist, on October 11, 2008 against the Boston Bruins,^[4] and his first career goal on December 19, 2008 against the New York Islanders.^[5]

Gillies spent the entirety of the 2009-10 season developing his game with the Aeros. Though he would remain with the Aeros for the majority of the 2010-11 season, Gillies was re-called by the Wild on April 3, 2011. He played the final 7 games of the season with Minnesota, contributing a goal in the last game of the season, a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars that ended the Stars' bid for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.^[6]

On July 6, 2011, Gillies signed a two-year contract extension with the Wild.^[7] In the 2011–12 season, Gillies struggled to establish a role with the Wild, assisting on only 2 goals in 37 games before on January 13, 2012, he was placed on waivers. The following day he was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.^[8]

A free agent approaching the 2013-14 season, Gillies accepted an invite to attend the Buffalo Sabres training camp.^[9] Unable to secure a contract with the Sabres he was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans training camp, on September 21, 2013. He was then signed to a one-year AHL deal with the Americans on September 25, 2013.^[10]

As a free agent again in the off-season, Gillies participated in his second consecutive training camp on a try-out with the New York Islanders. Gillies was assigned to AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on a professional try-out to begin the 2014–15 season, before signing a one-year AHL deal on December 12, 2014.^[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		9	1	1	2	10		2	0	0	0	0
2005–06	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		63	6	6	12	57		8	0	0	0	4
2006–07	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		65	13	17	30	148		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		58	24	23	47	97		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Houston Aeros	AHL		11	1	7	8	4		5	0	0	0	2
2008–09	Minnesota Wild	NHL		45	2	5	7	18		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Houston Aeros	AHL		72	7	13	20	73		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Houston Aeros	AHL		64	11	15	26	82		24	7	5	12	32
2010–11	Minnesota Wild	NHL		7	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Minnesota Wild	NHL		37	0	2	2	10		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		38	2	4	6	25		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		27	1	1	2	17		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Rochester Americans	AHL		65	9	14	23	49		5	1	1	2	11
2014–15	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		70	5	8	13	72		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				154	6	12	18	72		—	—	—	—	—

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2008 Czech Republic

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006	Canada Pacific	U17	4th		6	2	4	6	10
2007	Canada	U18	4th		6	2	1	3	10
2008	Canada	WJC			7	1	0	1	6
Junior totals					19	5	5	10	26

References

1. "2007 Entry Draft Prospect Profile: Colton Gillies". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
2. "Colton Gillies". WHL. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
3. "Wild Draft Notes and Trades". NHL.com. 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
4. "Wild 4, Bruins 3". NHL.com. 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
5. "Wild 4, Islanders 1". NHL.com. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
6. Joe Yerdon (2011-04-11). "Goal of the night: Colton Gillies whirling backhander crushes Dallas". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
7. "Wild Signs Gillies to two-year contract". TSN. 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
8. "Columbus Blue Jackets claim Colton Gillies off waivers from Wild". National Hockey League. 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
9. "Sabres 2013 training camp roster" (PDF). Buffalo Sabres. 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
10. "Amerks sign Colton Gillies to AHL contract". Rochester Americans. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
11. "Sound Tigers sign Gillies". Bridgeport Sound Tigers. 2014-12-12. Retrieved 2014-12-12.

External links

• Colton Gillies's player profile at NHL.com
• Colton Gillies's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database