Killorn’s journey takes him to Tampa
West Islander called up by Lightning
There was a common theme to the text messages Alex Killorn received before Tuesday night’s game against the Canadiens.
“I got a lot of texts from people back in Montreal and they all said we hope you score, but we hope you don’t win,” said Killorn, who played minor hockey in the Lac St. Louis program.
Killorn didn’t score and the Lightning didn’t win, but the 23-year-old from the West Island did enough good things to ensure he’ll stick around for a while. He was in the penalty box for the Canadiens’ first goal, but saw action on both the power play and as a penalty-killer, finishing the game as a plus-1.
It was Game 2 of Killorn’s NHL career — he picked up an assist on the Lightning’s only goal in his debut against the Rangers on Sunday — but it was special because it was his first home game and he was facing the team he cheered for as a youngster.
“I’ve played here in prospect camps, but it’s a lot different tonight,” Killorn said. “It’s exciting because the guys I’m playing against are guys I’ve looked up to. I try not to think about it.”
Killorn’s arrival in the NHL comes nearly six years after the Lightning drafted him 77th overall in 2007. He was playing at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts, standing six feet and weigh- ing only 160 pounds, and was a year away from enrolling at Harvard University.
“College wasn’t always in my plans, but I kept my options open,” Killorn said. “My parents, especially my mother, wanted me to go to college. There were a bunch of guys in my neighbourhood who went that route and it worked out well for them. I was drafted by Shawinigan when I was 15 and I went to their camp for 48 hours. But at that time I didn’t feel my body or my game was ready to do well in the (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) right away. College gave me a little more time to develop.”
Killorn spent a second year at Deerfield after he was drafted by the Lightning, and then headed to Harvard.
“At first, it was a lot with the school and hockey and homework, but after a while you get used to it,” Killorn said. “The last two years I really developed my game.”
Killorn said it helped that there were some familiar faces at Harvard. His teammates included fellow Lac St. Louis products Louis Leblanc and the Biega brothers — Alex, Michael and Danny.
Killorn got a head start on his pro career after Harvard finished its season last March. He joined Norfolk of the AHL for the last 10 games of the regular season and then helped the Admirals win the Calder Cup. He played in 17 of the team’s 18 playoff games, scoring three goals and adding nine assists.
Killorn became the fifth member of the Admirals to dress for the Lightning this season, joining Cory Conacher, Keith Aulie, Pierre-Cé- dric Labrie and Richard Panik, who made his NHL debut against the Canadiens.
“It’s a lot quicker,” Killorn said when asked for his first impressions of the NHL. “I want to keep it simple and not try to impress the coaches too much in this first few games.”
Killorn said he wasn’t disappointed after not being invited to the Lightning’s trimmed-down training camp after the NHL lockout ended. General manager Steve Yzerman told Killorn he would be better staying in Syracuse and that the call would eventually come.
It came last Saturday as Killorn prepared to take his pregame nap before an AHL game.
“I caught a plane to New York the next morning and I found myself playing against (Marian) Gaborik and Rick Nash,” Killorn said. “That made me a little nervous, but I got that out of my mind.
“It was great because I had a lot of friends from high school and Harvard who were at the game,” added Killorn, who received a bonus when his parents delayed the start of a vacation in Puerto Rico to watch him play. “It was a disappointment not to win, but it was great to get my first game at MSG.
“In that situation, you try not make mistakes, but even if you do, adrenalin takes over and you’re able to recover.”
Coach Guy Boucher said the arrival of the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Killorn is part of the Lightning’s master plan.
“We’ve been able to bring up a young kid that we’ve been meaning to bring up,” Boucher said.
“He’s been really good in the American League. We’ve continued a process that we began two years ago to develop depth at all levels.
“The last game I gave him a lot of ice and played him with our top players,” the coach added. “We gave him some time on the power play. We’ve got to get bigger. We have to get better on the road and that’s what these guys (Killorn and Panik) will give us.”
Boucher said Killorn’s future in the NHL depends on his performance.
“The American League is a development league; the NHL is a performance league,” Boucher said. “You need to produce. It’s not a time to experiment. … You have to see what a young guy can do. I started Killorn on the third line and I saw he was reliable and I gave him more responsibility. He has assets and he deserves it.”
The Lightning had been keeping tabs on Killorn since they drafted him. During his years at Harvard, Killorn attended the Lightning’s summer development camps. NCAA rules required him to pay his own way, but Killorn said he considered it an investment in his future.
Boucher was aware of Killorn even before they found themselves together in the Lightning organization.
“I lived on the West Island for many years and we all knew he was a possibility,” Boucher said. “People in the Q talked about him, but everyone knew he was probably going to college. It was funny when I got the job here and he was in our organization. It’s another Montrealer on our team.”