John Gilmour (ice hockey)

Playing career

John Gilmour’s path to professional hockey began in the United States Hockey League, where he suited up for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Gilmour Academy. While playing for the RoughRiders, he made a commitment to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Providence College. In 2013, the Calgary Flames selected him 198th overall in the NHL entry draft, but they never offered him a contract, so he stayed at Providence. On August 18, 2016, Gilmour signed a two-year, $1.85 million entry-level deal with the New York Rangers. He spent the early part of that season in the AHL and earned a spot in the 2018 AHL All-Star Game. His NHL debut came on February 9, 2018, in a 4–3 win over the Flames, and just four days later, on February 13, he netted his first NHL goal during a 3–2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. On February 28, 2018, he became the first rookie defenseman in Rangers history to score an overtime goal, doing so 1:22 into the extra frame against the Vancouver Canucks. For the 2018–19 season, Gilmour was reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack after training camp. There, he set a franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a season with 20 and was again named an AHL All-Star. On July 1, 2019, he left the Rangers as a free agent and signed a one-year, $700,000 one-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres. He began the 2019–20 season as a healthy scratch before being sent on a conditioning stint to the Rochester Americans. He appeared in four games with the Sabres, failing to record a point. After his time with Buffalo, and with the 2020–21 North American season delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilmour signed a one-year deal with HC CSKA Moscow of the KHL on December 14, 2020. He spent two seasons with CSKA, winning the Gagarin Cup, then left as a free agent and signed a two-year contract with HC Dinamo Minsk of Belarus on July 24, 2022. After one season with Dinamo, he was released and moved to Germany, signing a two-year contract with Adler Mannheim of the DEL on April 21, 2023.