Prospect Profile: Garrett Pilon

Garrett Pilon has been making a substantial impact on the 2019-20 Hershey Bears’ roster. The 21-year old center was drafted 87th overall in the third round of the 2016 NHL entry-level draft. On March 30th, 2017, Pilon signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals.

Prior to his AHL career, Pilon played in the WHL; he spent the majority of his time in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Blazers, then was traded to the Everett Silvertips for 30 games before joining the Bears. He spent four seasons in the WHL, and finished with 45 goals and 63 assists in a total of 99 games during his last season in the league. Overall, he was very successful in his WHL career, and his next step was to prove he was ready for the American Hockey League. It should be noted that he made an appearance with the Bears in 2017 as he played in one game during the Calder Cup playoffs. He did not join the Bears’ roster for an entire season until last year. He made a transition into AHL style of play, and it went well; He played 71 games in the regular season and tallied a total of 10 goals and 23 assists. In addition, Pilon led the rookies on the team in points with 33. Pilon had his first multi-point game with two assists on November 10th, 2018 against the Springfield Thunderbirds and scored his first AHL goal on December 8th against the Hartford Wolf Pack. He also contributed to the quest for the Calder Cup last season. Pilon appeared in all nine games the Bears battled in and put up five assists. However, we, unfortunately, remember how the season ended with a sweep from the Charlotte Checkers.

Pilon seeks to advance his play and provide offense to the Bears this current season. One trend that is important to notice is that Pilon is a player who develops plays, which results in goals for the Bears. He provides many more assists for his team but is also very capable of scoring himself. He currently has played in 15 games this season and has produced one goal along with three assists. His knowledge about the ice and his capability to make quick smart passes results in the numerous assists, which is just as important as goals. He also has a style of play in which he is slightly aggressive, and he shows an effective amount of puck handling. Another one of his assets that are normally overlooked is his faceoff abilities. His production and competence are significant for the Bears as the team needed more offensive strength this season. The Bears are only 16 games into their season, and Pilon is still looking for a spark, though the skills he presents on the ice are promising for the following games and his future.

Pilon has great potential that can be used on the Caps roster one day, but a call-up or roster spot does not seem likely anytime soon. The Caps mostly have their offense set and have go-to choices when calling up players. Also, there are many choices and competition with other prospects for a spot. As stated in the last prospect report, an ample amount of talent is needed for the future of the Caps’ blue line. Similarly, Caps are not eager to disrupt the development of many players in Hershey. Still, a few players will be needed when offensive spots open up for prospects in the following seasons. However, the difference between the future of the Caps’ offense and defense is that there are many more experienced players on the Caps’ current lines who are assumed to play, therefore fewer openings and need for prospects. In other words, there is a lot of talent in Hershey, and it will be harder for offensive players to obtain a spot since there is less of a need for young offense when compared to defense. Despite all this, Pilon should be focusing on many factors in Hershey so that his abilities impress the Capitals’ coaches for the future. Showing consistency and displaying leadership with the Bears are two essential factors that will lead to an NHL debut in the future. In addition, he will need to continue the skills he presents on the ice currently. The skillset he supplies the Bears with now is promising for his career with the Capitals. His success is encouraging, and if he stays on track, he will definitely be in the Capitals’ plans. Pilon proved he was ready for the AHL after leaving a momentous career in the WHL, and now his latest test is to demonstrate that he is prepared to perform in the NHL for the Caps.