Roadrunners goalie Adin Hill has been towering figure in club's playoff run

A month before Adin Hill stymied San Jose in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs, the Tucson Roadrunners goaltender gave a sneak peek of what was to come.

Hill saved 20 shots in a 4-0 Tucson win over the Barracuda on March 20. Roadrunners coach Mike Van Ryn simply laughed after the game when asked if Hill played that night with any more confidence than usual.

“I don’t think Adin ever struggles with his confidence,” he said.

You’d be confident, too, if you were a 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound brick wall of a man who has already tasted the big-time. The 21-year-old Hill is expected to start on Wednesday, when the Roadrunners open the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs with a home game against the Texas Stars. The best-of-seven series continues Friday at Tucson Arena before heading to Texas.

Hill has been Tucson’s starter since March 16, when he was sent back to Tucson from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. Hill made his first NHL start three days earlier, and saved 34 of 37 shots in a win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes sure saw what the Roadrunners had — an elite athlete with potential to be great.

Since returning from Glendale, Hill has posted an 8-2-1 record, with five of his wins coming by shutouts.

“Adin’s under control when he moves,” Roadrunners goalie coach Jon Elkin said. “He’s been dialed in and focused for 60 minutes. No lapses. Those are keys. He’s a very talented guy and if he can stay focused for 60 and be positionally sound, he’s going to be successful.”

Hill set the tone in Game 1 against San Jose, stopping 36 of 38 shots. Tucson won, 4-2. Hill shut out San Jose in Games 3 and 4, and the Roadrunners won the series.

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“He’s been doing the right things every day in practice,” Elkin said. “When one does that, the results aren’t always right away. But over time, if you keep on the right track, good things happen.”

Hill’s steady play feeds his self-assurance, which often leads to more steady play.

“Playing with some confidence allows you to just free up your mind,” Elkin said. “When you’re free, you can move and react and read and it’s everything. Adin’s always been a confident fellow and as long as he backs it up with the work, he puts fundamentals together with confidence which is true confidence.”

Hill is one of a handful players who have been with the Roadrunners since they moved to Tucson before the 2016-17 season. He’s watched as the team transformed from a division bottom-feeder to conference champion.

Hill’s own progression has been fundamental in the team’s breakthrough.

He played in four games for the Springfield Falcons in the 2015-16 season, then followed the club when it relocated to Tucson. Hill allowed an average of 3.16 goals per game across 40 games last season. In Year 2, Hill’s average dropped nearly an entire goal to 2.28.

Next comes Texas, which Hill faced once this season in a 2-1 Tucson overtime win on Feb. 10. Hill saved 26 of 27 shots that game.

“I think our team has done a great job in front of me, as well,” Hill said. “We’ve turned it up at the right time here, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going in this next series.”