Jonas Hiller

Jonas Hiller
Hiller with the Flames in 2014.
Born February 12, 1982
Felben-Wellhausen, Switzerland
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
NHL team
Former teams 		Calgary Flames
HC Lausanne
HC Davos
Anaheim Ducks
National team   Switzerland
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2001–present

Jonas Hiller (born February 12, 1982) is a Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is one of only a handful of goaltenders in the NHL who catches right-handed.

Playing career

Hiller won Switzerland's championship in 2002, 2005 and 2007, as well as the Spengler Cup in 2004 and 2006 with Davos. In 2006–07, Hiller set a career-high win record with 28–16–0 in 44 games. He was signed as a free agent by the Ducks in May 2007.

Hiller with the Ducks in 2012

Hiller made his debut for the Anaheim Ducks on September 30, 2007, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4–1 in London, England. He allowed one goal on 23 shots for the win.

The Ducks' general manager at the time, Brian Burke, felt that Hiller was ready to become full-time backup to Jean-Sébastien Giguère, and thus placed Ilya Bryzgalov on waivers, where he was claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes. Hiller went on to record a 2.06 goals against average (GAA) and .926 save percentage in 23 games in his first NHL season.

Hiller recorded his first NHL shutout in the 2008–09 season, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 2–0. The Ducks named Hiller their starting goaltender for the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs after his strong regular season play. He started his first playoff game on April 16, 2009, recording a shutout against the San Jose Sharks with 35 saves. He and the Ducks ousted the Sharks in six games, marking only the fourth time that the Presidents' Trophy-winning team has been eliminated in the first round. The Ducks next matchup was the second-seeded Detroit Red Wings, a series which Detroit won in seven games. Many felt that it was due to Hiller's play, however, that the Ducks were able to take the defending Stanley Cup champions to seven games. On January 30, 2010, Hiller signed a four-year extension with the Ducks going through the 2013–14 season. The next day, the Ducks traded Giguère to the Toronto Maple Leafs, cementing Hiller's status as the Ducks' number one goaltender.

During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Hiller helped the Ducks place second overall in the Western Conference. During the 2013 playoffs, the Ducks were eliminated in a seven-game series against the Detroit Red Wings for the second time in five years.

On July 1, 2014, Hiller signed a two-year deal as a free agent with the Calgary Flames for $4.5 million per year.[1]

Vertigo-like symptoms

Hiller earned a spot in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 30. On February 2, after his first game returning from the All-Star weekend, Hiller felt lightheaded and was slow to react, allowing three goals on ten shots in the opening period of a 4–3 loss against the visiting San Jose Sharks. He sat out the next four games before shutting out the Edmonton Oilers 4–0 on February 13, but the symptoms reappeared. Hiller then sat out another 15 games, making what would be his last appearance of the season during a 5–4 loss to the Nashville Predators on March 24.

The Ducks acquired veteran goaltenders Ray Emery and Dan Ellis in separate February deals, and the pair played all playoff minutes as the Ducks were eliminated in the first round by Nashville. Emery, an unrestricted free agent, eventually signed with the Chicago Blackhawks during the off-season.

In August 2011, Hiller said he was symptom-free.[2] Ellis was retained as the team's backup goaltender.

International play

Hiller with Switzerland during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Hiller played goalie for Switzerland in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Switzerland finished in eighth place, losing to the United States in the Quarterfinal round. He also played goalie for Switzerland in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Switzerland finished in ninth place, losing to the Latvia in the Qualification playoffs.

Personal life

Hiller is fluent in English, German and French. He is a butterfly style goaltender.

Awards and accomplishments

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2003–04 HC Lausanne NLA 13 3 7 1 709 42 1 3.55 — — — — — — — — —
2003–04 HC La Chaux-de-Fonds NLB 1 0 1 0 60 4 0 4.00 — — — — — — — — —
2004–05 HC Davos NLA 43 26 12 4 2523 94 8 2.24 — 15 12 3 932 34 0 2.19 —
2005–06 HC Davos NLA 42 22 15 5 2551 98 4 2.30 — 15 9 6 900 45 1 3.00 —
2006–07 HC Davos NLA 44 28 16 0 2656 115 3 2.60 — 19 12 7 1138 39 3 2.05 —
2007–08 Anaheim Ducks NHL 23 10 7 1 1223 42 0 2.06 .927 — — — — — — — —
2007–08 Portland Pirates AHL 6 3 2 1 370 13 0 2.11 .929 — — — — — — — —
2008–09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 46 23 15 1 2486 99 4 2.39 .919 13 7 6 807 30 2 2.23 .943
2009–10 Anaheim Ducks NHL 59 30 23 4 3338 152 2 2.73 .918 — — — — — — — —
2010–11 Anaheim Ducks NHL 49 26 16 3 2672 114 5 2.56 .924 — — — — — — — —
2011–12 Anaheim Ducks NHL 73 29 30 12 4253 182 4 2.57 .910 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Anaheim Ducks NHL 26 15 6 4 1498 59 1 2.36 .913 7 3 4 439 18 1 2.46 .917
2013–14 Anaheim Ducks NHL 50 29 13 7 2909 120 5 2.48 .911 6 2 2 219 8 0 2.19 .906
NHL totals 326 162 110 32 18,379 768 21 2.51 .916 26 12 12 1465 56 3 2.29 .932

References

  1. ↑ "Calgary Flames sign forward Mason Raymond". Calgary Sun. 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  2. ↑ Ducks Jonas Hiller says he's free of vertigo symptoms, ready for training camp

External links