Chad Billins
Chad Billins | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 26, 1989 Marysville, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | Playing for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), NHL debut with Calgary Flames |
Chad Billins (born May 26, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently signed with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Although undrafted, Billins spent four seasons competing for the Ferris State Bulldogs, where he served as co-captain and helped lead the team to its inaugural Frozen Four appearance in 2012. He began his professional career in 2012 with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL), playing a key role in their Calder Cup victory. Billins made his NHL debut during the 2013 season with the Calgary Flames.
Playing career
Billins’ early hockey development included stints with the Alpena IceDiggers (NAHL) and Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL), before committing to four years at Ferris State competing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). In his final collegiate season, he co-captained Ferris State to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance.
In 2012, Billins transitioned to professional hockey by signing an AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins for the 2012–13 campaign. Throughout 76 games, he recorded 10 goals—exceeding his previous collegiate best—and earned a spot on the Western Conference AHL All-Star Team. His contributions extended into the postseason, where he appeared in 24 playoff games as the Griffins captured the Calder Cup championship.
Billins’ strong performance in the AHL resulted in a two-way NHL contract with the Calgary Flames. He began that season with their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, leading the team with five goals before being called up to the NHL on November 1, 2013. He made his NHL debut on November 5, registering an assist against the Minnesota Wild.
On June 30, 2014, Billins inked a deal with Russian outfit CSKA Moscow for the 2014–15 KHL season, while Calgary maintained his NHL rights. After appearing in 21 games and tallying six points with CSKA, he transferred mid-season to Sweden’s SHL, joining Luleå HF.
In June 2015, Billins committed to a two-year contract with SHL club Linköpings HC. Following free agency in July 2016, he returned to North America by signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks, spending that season playing for their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he posted three goals and totaled 20 points across 72 games.
April 2017 marked Billins’ return to European competition as he re-signed with Linköpings HC on a two-year deal. Subsequently, in May 2019, he secured a two-year contract with German DEL champions Adler Mannheim.
After one season competing in Germany, Billins ended his contract early to return to Sweden, signing a one-year agreement with Brynäs IF of the SHL in December 2020.
Regular season and playoffs
2014–15 SHL seasonLuleå HF SHL 23 1 5 6 4 9 1 1 2 2 2015–16 NHL seasonLinköpings HC SHL 50 7 24 31 14 6 2 2 4 4 2016–17 AHL seasonUtica Comets AHL 72 3 17 20 16 — — — — — 2017–18 SHL season Linköpings HC SHL 50 4 19 23 20 7 3 4 7 0 2018–19 SHL season Linköpings HC SHL 52 3 18 21 18 — — — — — 2019–20 DEL seasonAdler Mannheim DEL 36 2 8 10 16 — — — — — 2020–21 SHL seasonBrynäs IF SHL 26 2 8 10 12 — — — — — 2021–22 HockeyAllsvenskan seasonHV71 Allsv 52 8 35 43 14 15 6 7 13 6 2022–23 SHL season HV71 SHL 49 3 7 10 12 — — — — —| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Little Caesars 18U AAA | MWEHL | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Alpena IceDiggers | NAHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Alpena IceDiggers | NAHL | 61 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 98 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 60 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 81 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ferris State Bulldogs | CCHA | 27 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Ferris State Bulldogs | CCHA | 40 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Ferris State Bulldogs | CCHA | 39 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Ferris State Bulldogs | CCHA | 43 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 AHL season | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 76 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 40 | 24 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 AHL season | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 65 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 NHL season | Calgary Flames | NHL | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 2014–15 KHL season | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| colspan="3" SHL totals | 250 | 20 | 81 | 101 | 80 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 6 | ||||
International
| Year | National Team | Competition | Placement | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | United States | Olympic Games | 7th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Senior career totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Distinction | Season/Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate Level | ||
| All-CCHA First Team | 2011–12 | |
| AHCA West Second-Team All-American | 2011–12 | |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2012 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game Selection | 2013 | |
| Calder Cup champion (with Grand Rapids Griffins) | 2013 | |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1989 births
- Living people
- Abbotsford Heat players
- Adler Mannheim players
- AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
- American men's ice hockey defensemen
- Brynäs IF players
- Calgary Flames players
- Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey players
- Grand Rapids Griffins players
- HC CSKA Moscow players
- HV71 players
- Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics
- Ice hockey players from Michigan
- Linköping HC players
- Luleå HF players
- Olympic ice hockey players for the United States
- People from Marysville, Michigan
- Sportspeople from St. Clair County, Michigan
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Utica Comets players
- Waterloo Black Hawks players
- 21st-century American sportsmen