Metis player wearing the C with the Belleville Senators

Though he has spent the majority of his pro career in the minors, Garrett Pilon is still aspiring to become a regular player in the National Hockey League.

Pilon, who is Métis and grew up in Saskatoon, is in his seventh pro season. The 26-year-old has appeared in just three NHL contests, his last one being with the Washington Capitals during the 2021-22 campaign.

Despite obviously preferring to be in the NHL, Pilon isn’t complaining too much about where he is now.

He was recently appointed the captain for the Ontario-based Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Senators are the top affiliate for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

Pilon was told early on during Belleville’s pre-season schedule that he would be wearing the C for the squad.

“It was obviously a very proud moment for myself,” Pilon told Windspeaker on Oct. 20, moments after the Senators were downed 5-2 by the visiting Syracuse Crunch at Belleville’s CAA Arena. “I’ve been playing pro for a while and it was nice to get that nod of a character and leadership role.”

Pilon said the last time he was the captain of a hockey club was when he would have been in his teens, playing at the Midget level.

“Times were a little bit different,” he said. “It wasn’t as much of a big deal then.”

Pilon is taking great pride though with the fact the Senators selected him to lead the team.

“It means a lot,” he said. “There’s trust from the coaches and management. But I think for me it’s the trust from the players as well, which I appreciate. It’s obviously huge to get that nod, especially at this level.”

Belleville head coach David Bell said Pilon was certainly a worthy candidate to be chosen as the squad’s captain.

“It was a no-brainer,” Bell said. “His pedigree as a hockey player speaks for itself.”

Pilon’s career highlights including winning an AHL championship, the Calder Cup, with the Hershey Bears in 2022.

The Bears are the top affiliate for the Washington Capitals, who had selected Pilon in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Bell said Pilon scored some crucial goals in his first year with Belleville last season, including a handful of overtime markers in the regular season as well as a series-clinching playoff tally.

“That went into it a little bit – his ability to step it up in big moments,” Bell said. “But that’s just one part. If you meet Garrett, he’s a very humble guy. He’s a very team-oriented guy. He doesn’t leave guys behind.”

As proof, Bell said Pilon has invited some of his single teammates over to his house for Christmas and Thanksgiving meals so they would not be alone during a holiday.

“It’s a pretty easy decision when you get to know the fabric of him,” Bell added of making Pilon the Senators’ captain. “He’s just a very hard working and humble Saskatchewan boy.”

Pilon is hoping his work ethic eventually helps to get him some more playing time in the NHL.

“I still have aspirations to be in the NHL,” he said. “I’m still young. I’m not a 35-year-old vet. Obviously, that is still the goal.”

Bell believes Pilon, a forward who is listed at an even 6-foot and 192 pounds, needs to improve his skating in order to be considered a serious candidate for NHL employment.

“His hockey sense is off the charts, his compete is off the charts, he’s big enough,” Bell said. “I just think it’s not over for him. He’s still a young guy. He’s still a guy that could be called up. He knows if he can get his skating a little step quicker, he can probably push for an NHL job.”

Pilon said he is constantly working on little details of his game in the AHL in the hopes he can move up to the world’s premier hockey circuit.

“It’s hard to gauge when you only have three games if you’re actually able to play at that level,” he said. “But at the same time there’s obviously a reason why other guys have gotten an opportunity and I’m trying to find out what they’re doing and build off of that as well.”

Pilon is following in the footsteps of his father Rich, who was also a pro hockey player. The elder Pilon, who played defence, appeared in 646 NHL games.

He was primarily with the New York Islanders but also had stints with the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.