Colton Gillies

Playing career

Gillies was selected second overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft. He played parts of four seasons with the Blades, appearing in only 10 playoff games as the team struggled. His strong physical and two-way play earned him a spot on Canada's roster for the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships in Finland, where Canada finished fourth. That summer, the Minnesota Wild traded up three spots to pick him 16th overall in the NHL draft. During the 2007-08 season, Gillies served as captain of the Blades and helped Canada win its fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. Late in that season, he made his professional debut with the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros, recording 8 points in 11 games. He made the Wild's roster out of training camp for the 2008-09 season, playing 45 games. His first NHL point, an assist, came on October 11, 2008 against the Boston Bruins, and his first goal on December 19, 2008 against the New York Islanders. Gillies spent the entire 2009-10 season with the Aeros. He remained with the Aeros for most of 2010-11 but was recalled by the Wild on April 3, 2011, playing the final 7 games and scoring a goal in the season finale against the Dallas Stars. On July 6, 2011, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Wild. In the 2011-12 season, he managed 2 assists in 37 games before being placed on waivers on January 13, 2012. The next day, he was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Approaching the 2013-14 season as a free agent, Gillies attended the Buffalo Sabres training camp but did not secure a contract. He was reassigned to the Rochester Americans training camp on September 21, 2013, and signed a one-year AHL deal with the Americans on September 25, 2013. He competed for Rochester at the 2013 Spengler Cup.