NHL ENTRY DRAFT

June 22, 1996

Craig Hillier

I was getting scared towards the end of the first round, but I thought I would -- one of the teams would pick me up eventually.

Yeah, they were talking to me earlier and they said they didn't think they -- that we would get a shot, but I guess they did. They took advantage of it.

Well, I just know they have Ragged (ph) and Brossum (ph); they are getting up there in the years. They probably have a couple of young goalies in the farm system, but hopefully in a couple of years I will be able to make it.

I guess that is their assumption. I don't go down over it a lot. I stand up and I just go down when I have to and I guess that is their style too.

Next year I am just going to work hard and hopefully, you know, I will have a good season. Maybe the year, after following it, I might have a good shot at making the NHL.

Yeah. There are lots of things like my overall physical strengths and just different things like techniques and stuff, so you know, hopefully a couple of years I will be in the NHL.

Definitely -- yeah, I expected being, you know, a first round pick or early second, so I wasn't really surprised where I went and I am just glad to be a part of the Pittsburgh organization.

I take a lot of the NHL goalie styles like Patrick Roy, Bill Ranford, Grant Fuhr, Mark, I try to put all the techniques into my game. I don't really pattern myself just after one goalie.

Probably. Just means like, you know, I got invitation to a trial and hopefully, you know, in a couple of years I will be on the team and just work hard these next couple of years and make the jump to the NHL.

This is real important to me getting drafted because I guess it puts another step by me in my hockey career and maybe you know, this is like a stepping stone, I guess. I have one more to go and --

Stepping stone maybe 1 or 2 more years, I maybe making another step to the NHL.

I really wasn't worried about what happened in the Playoffs. It is over now. Hopefully next year we will have a long Playoff run and maybe take the NHL Championships. I am just happy to be a part of the Ottawa organization, so hopefully I can, you know, just work harder and make the step to the Championship.

Yeah, I was getting pretty nervous. It was a little nerve wracking at first. I was just last couple of picks before Pittsburgh had their pick. I was, you know, wondering what is going to happen and you know, I was just praying that somebody would take me and it ended up Pittsburgh took me and I am really happy about that.