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May 6, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) makes a save against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period of game one of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Golden Knights Goalie Gunning for Canada’s Starting Role

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Adin Hill is entering the first year of a six-year contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old puck-stopper started a career best 50 games last year for the Knights and emerged as an integral piece of the Vegas organization. He also made his case to be an integral piece of Canada's 2026 Winter Olympics Roster.

The Golden Knights starter served as a backup to St. Louis Blues veteran and Canada starter Jordan Binnington at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, and the two are leading the race for the top role next winter. Hill faces a tough task trying to usurp the starting job from Binnington, a former Stanley Cup winner, but he's the challenger best equipped to do so.

Give More Than You Get

Hill was solid in nearly every aspect of goaltending last season. According to NHL EDGE, his save percentage in all offensive zone locations was above the league average, watermarked by a nearly perfect .978 save percentage on long-range shots on goal and a .897 save percentage on mid-range shots on goal. Both figures ranked above the 60th percentile of all NHL goalies last season. His goals-against average of 2.47 ranked in the 90th percentile among goalies.

Hill also was routinely making saves on quality scoring chances when the Golden Knights’ defense broke down. MoneyPuck’s model for expected goals calculated 135.53 expected goals were launched on Hill, but he only allowed 121 goals against. That resulted in his goals saved above expected finishing at 14.5, better than the figures posted by notable top netminders like Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars and Linus Ullmark of the Ottawa Senators.

Size Advantage

Hill stands at an imposing 6’4” and 215 pounds. He possesses the ideal size for a modern goaltender, and it’s a huge part of how his game succeeds. His long legs allow him to move laterally with ease and less effort, nearly eliminating the bottom half of the net.

It also makes him ideally suited to withstand the rigorous tournament the Olympics will surely be. Teams in the field like Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the United States have the forward depth to keep pushing and get to the high-danger scoring areas. One possible way to combat that is Hill’s large frame.

His size also eliminates angles for shooters. When he pushes off his post, he leaves the shooting forward with no net to see. This is exhibited by his save percentage on unblocked shots. Using MoneyPuck’s data on unblocked shot attempts from last season, Hill posted a low-danger save percentage of .973, a medium-danger save percentage of .888 and a high-danger save percentage of .730.

Why is that impressive? Each statistic exceeded expectations. The same model of expected goals from MoneyPuck predicted an expected high-danger save percentage of .679, an expected medium-danger save percentage of .877 and an expected low-danger save percentage of .971, meaning that Hill performed above expected in all three offensive zones. The only other goalie to start 40 games and also outperform the expected save percentage last year was Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.

One Tweak Could Be the Difference

One issue I’ve noticed while observing Hill is that he can play a bit deep in his crease. It’s likely a byproduct of his hulking size in net, but it can be to his detriment. He can be susceptible to shot deflections because of this, and he also can give up an occasional juicy rebound.

By moving up a bit in his crease, he could eliminate this issue. Already a sturdy goaltender when it comes to fighting for position, taking that little bit more of space could cut down shooting angles even more, reduce the frequency of deflections beating him and rebounds.

If he can do that, Binnington’s starting job is far from a guarantee. The winning experience of the Blues goaltender is a huge advantage, but Hill’s own success in the NHL combined with a career-best season pushing him into 2025-2026 makes him the biggest challenge for Canada’s starting goalie job.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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