Team: John Gilmour
Brad Penner

Fantasy Summary

An older prospect defenseman with puck-moving abilities but on a short leash.


Observations

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August 2020 – After finishing the 2018-2019 season with 20 goals and 54 points with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, Gilmour could not repeat the same success in 2019-2020. He scored just six goals and 13 points in 37 games with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He took 100 shots – second most of any defenceman on the Americans’ blue line this season – and played on the powerplay. He likes to transition the puck up the ice and engages physically along the boards in his own zone. He can, however, lose body position against the opponent at times. He played four games with the Buffalo Sabres in late-October and early-November 2019, and is among the top players on the Sabres’ list of recalls. After being recalled to Buffalo in February, he did not play and was instead sent down in favor of Lawrence Pilut. Gilmour finished the season with the Americans. His contract expires at the end of the current season. He is 27 years old and will be a UFA. Kevin Wong

 

February 2020 –  On February 15th, the Sabres recalled John Gilmour from the Rochester Americans. With Zach Bogosian being waived, then signing in Tampa Bay, the Sabres needed an extra defenseman at the NHL level. Gilmour is not likely to see much ice-time, but if an injury does pop up on the Sabres blue line, he would likely be plugged in. So far this season, Gilmour has suited up for the Rochester Americans in 32 games and has totalled 13 points including six goals. It is worth pointing out that Gilmour has spent time on the Americans’ power-play unit. So, he could see time on the power play if an injury occurs. Josh Tessler

 

October 2019 – With Brandon Montour and Zach Bogosian banged up, John Gilmour has a slot on the Buffalo Sabres roster to kick off the regular season. Even with the injuries, Gilmour has failed to crack into the lineup. The Sabres have been utilizing Rasmus Dahlin, Jake McCabe and Marco Scandella on the left side. At this time, Gilmour is sitting in the press box, but he might have an opportunity to crack into the lineup during the Sabres’ California road trip (October 16-19). The Sabres will have a back-to-back during the trip and might want some fresh legs in the lineup. At this point in time, Gilmour at best is a fringe/seventh defenseman, who might find himself in Rochester when the Sabres are fully healthy. It might be shocking to see Gilmour be in a fringe role after his outstanding season with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season, but the was given a tremendous amount of playing time as the Wolf Pack defensive unit was quite weak. Josh Tessler

 

July 2019 – Gilmour has signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Sabres.  Jokke Nevalainen

 

March 2019 – The third-year-pro is having a dominant offensive campaign as a 25-year-old in the AHL. Unfortunately for him, the Ranger’s defensive depth chart is beginning to look extremely strong, with younger, higher potential options in the running alongside him. Gilmour is at the point in his career where we’ll be able to tell very soon if he’ll go the career AHL path of TJ Brennan, or find a suitable NHL opportunity outside of Manhattan. He’ll become a group-6 UFA on July 1st, and would be wise to sign his next contract with an organization that could give him a fair shake at an NHL job. Brayden Olafson
June 2018 – The Providence Friar alumnus became yet another of the Rangers’ bridge players to be featured on the NHL squad through the inaugural season of the team’s rebuild. At 25-years-young, its tough to see Gilmour ever becoming a core piece of the future Rangers squad, however, his late-bloomer type of development curve could prove to be a valuable asset throughout the team’s transition all while auditioning himself around the league for a second pro contract. His short term value is relatively low in terms of fantasy, as is his long term value. For one-year leagues that dig into the depths of the NHL, he could be a valuable sleeper, otherwise we really haven’t seen enough to count on consistent production across the scoresheet for Gilmour. Brayden Olafson

June 2017 – Gilmour skated his first full pro season in 2016/17 with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In 76 AHL games, the offensive-minded defenseman scored six goals and added 19 assists for an overall production of 0.33 points per game. He led all Hartford rookies in points and was second on the team in shots on goal for a defenseman with 110.  Conversely, on the defensive side of the puck, Gilmour was an AHL-worst minus-39 on the last-place Wolf Pack. Expect Gilmour to spend 2017/18 in Hartford, where he will need to focus on improving his defensive game. Geoff Kent

August 2016 – Often overlooked in the Jimmy Vesey saga was the New York Rangers’ addition of free agent defenseman John Gilmour. Gilmour, who was a part of the NCAA-Tournament-winning Providence Friars team two years ago, recorded career highs in goals (nine), assists (14), and points (23) last year. He went unsigned by the Calgary Flames and became a free agent on August 15th. Gilmour will almost certainly join a packed Hartford Wolf Pack defense with little openings.

Gilmour, while slight in stature for a professional hockey player, boasts incredible skating ability and high offensive hockey sense. He has slick puck moving abilities and owns a deceptive release. The only knocks on his game are his size and overall upside. His defensive zone play could use some refinement as well. Look for him to have a modest first professional season. Dylan Finan

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 5.0
NHL Certainty 5.5
Country CAN
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth May 17, 1993
Height 6‘0”
Weight 788 lbs
Drafted 2013 Round 7; Overall: 198

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2008-2009 Lac St-Louis Royals EspoirQM17AAA25 7 916 -|        
 2010-2011 Gilmour Academy MPHL13 4 711 8|Playoffs3 0 22
 2011-2012 Cedar Rapids RoughRidersUSHL58 10 1424 14|Playoffs2 0 11
 2012-2013 Providence CollegeNCAA38 4 913 35|        
 2013-2014 Providence CollegeNCAA39 5 1318 22|        
 2014-2015 Providence CollegeNCAA30 4 711 10|        
 2015-2016 Providence CollegeNCAA34 9 1423 18|        
 2016-2017 Hartford Wolf PackAHL76 6 1925 18|        
 2017-2018 New York RangersNHL28 2 35 14|        
  Hartford Wolf PackAHL44 6 2026 22|        
 2018-2019 New York RangersNHL5 0 00 4|        
  Hartford Wolf PackAHL70 20 3454 31|        
 2019-2020 Buffalo SabresNHL4 0 00 0|        
  Rochester AmericansAHL37 6 713 6|        
 2020-2021 CSKA MoskvaKHL12 3 36 2|Playoffs17 1 34
 2021-2022 CSKA MoskvaKHL45 1 89 12|Playoffs14 0 33
  CanadaEHT3 0 00 0|        
 2022-2023 Dinamo MinskKHL52 1 89 14|Playoffs2 0 00
 2023-2024 Adler MannheimDEL51 6 2127 9|Playoffs7 1 23
  Adler MannheimChampions HL7 1 01 54|        
 2024-2025 Adler MannheimDEL15 5 49 4|        

Highlights