James Andrew Hiller (born May 13, 1969) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

coach and former player who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

for the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Hiller played 63 games in the NHL with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, while spending time in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) and International Hockey League (IHL). He finished his career playing overseas in the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called Penny (supermarket), PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a professional ice hockey league in Germany and the highest division in German i ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

. Upon retiring, Hiller began a

coaching Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

career in the

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

leagues.

Playing career

Hiller was born in

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. After playing Junior A hockey for the

Melville Millionaires The Melville Millionaires are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey based in Melville, Saskatchewan. They are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). They play their home games in the CN Community Centre which has a seating capa ...

major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...

in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL) with the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 198 ...

, Hiller was drafted in the tenth round, 207th overall, by the

in the

1989 NHL Entry Draft The 1989 NHL entry draft was the 27th NHL entry draft. It was held on June 17 at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Detroit Red Wings' 1989 draft has been noted as exceptionally successful, with 5,955 total NHL games played by the p ...

. Upon being drafted, Hiller began a three-year

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

career with

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...

. NMU won the 1991 NCAA title in Hiller's sophomore year. Following an 86-point campaign with Northern Michigan in a 41-game 1991–92 season, his third with the university, he turned pro with the Los Angeles Kings. During his rookie season, he was traded to the

and completed his rookie season in 1992–93 with 20 points in 61 games split between the two teams. The next season, in 1993–94, Hiller joined the

, but played only two games in the NHL, spending his tenure with the organization in the minor leagues with

Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were a former United States, American professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The market was previously serv ...

of the

(AHL) and

Atlanta Knights The Atlanta Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League from 1992 to 1996. The Knights were based in Atlanta, and played at the Omni Coliseum. In 1994 the K ...

of the International Hockey League (IHL). After one season with the Canadian national team, Hiller went overseas to play in the

with the

Starbulls Rosenheim The Starbulls Rosenheim are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosenheim, Germany. The team competes in the DEL2, the second highest level of play in professional German ice hockey. They play their home games at the ROFA-Stadion. ROFA AG i ...

in 1996–97. He finished second in league scoring in his third and final campaign with the club in 1998–99 with 67 points in 52 games, two points behind Martin Jiranek of the

Nürnberg Ice Tigers The Nürnberg Ice Tigers are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. History The roots of the team can be traced back to SG Nürnberg, an ice hockey clu ...

. In 1999–2000, Hiller began a two-season stint with the

Berlin Capitals BSC Preussen was an ice hockey team in Berlin, Germany that existed between 1983 and 2005. They played in the highest German league from 1987 to 2001, reaching the playoff semifinals on seven occasions. History * BSC Preussen was founded in 1983 i ...

, after which he spent one final season with

HC Milano Hockey Club Milano was an Italian ice hockey team based in Milan. Throughout its history, the team has changed its name twice. It was previously called Associazione Disco Ghiaccio Milano (1936–1937) and Hockey Club Milano Inter (1950–1956). I ...

of the

before retiring.

Coaching career

Minor leagues

After retiring in 2002 from his playing career, Hiller immediately began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are an American major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League and based in Kennewick, Washington. Founded in 1966 as the Calgary Buffaloes, the team settled in Kennewick in 1988 after a number of re ...

of the WHL for two seasons. In 2004–05, he was named head coach of the

Alberni Valley Bulldogs The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are a junior ice hockey team based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Weyerhaeuser Arena. ...

of the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

(BCHL), where he coached two seasons and posted records of 32–20–6–2 and 43–12–3–2 respectively. The next season, he was selected to coach the expansion

Chilliwack Bruins The Chilliwack Bruins were a Major Junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. The 2006–07 season marked the Bruins' inaugural season in the WHL. The team played at Prospera Cent ...

back in the WHL. He coached the franchise to playoff berths in their first two seasons, but after missing the post-season in his third year with the club, he was fired. Later in the 2009 off-season, he was named head coach of the

. In 2010 the Americans reached the WHL championship series but lost to the

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL), hosting their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "Hitman" Hart, a prof ...

. Hiller received WHL and CHL coach of the year honors for the 2011–12 season.

NHL

On July 30, 2014, Hiller was hired by the

as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock, overseeing the

power play "Power play" is a sporting term used to describe a period of play where one team has a numerical advantage in players, usually due to a rule violation by the opposing team. Temporary numerical advantage in players during a team sport In several ...

. After one season in Detroit, Hiller followed Mike Babcock to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he also had responsibility for the power play. On June 19, 2019, the New York Islanders announced Hiller would be joining their coaching staff as an assistant under Barry Trotz. One month after the Islanders fired Trotz and replaced him with Lane Lambert, Hiller was also relieved of his duties on June 9, 2022. On July 19, 2022, Hiller was hired as an assistant coach for the

under

Todd McLellan Todd Andrew McLellan (born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously served as head coach of the San Jose Shark ...

. On February 2, 2024, Hiller was named interim head coach following the firing of McLellan. Under Hiller, the Kings made the playoffs and lost to the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in five games. Following the 2023–24 season on May 22, Hiller was named Los Angeles Kings' head coach. During the

2025 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is the Stanley Cup playoffs, playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2024–25 NHL season, 2024–25 season. The playoffs began on April 19, 2025, and will conclude no later than June 20, 2025, ...

in game 3 of the first-round series against the Oilers with the Kings having a 2–0 series lead, Hiller made a coach challenges call on an

Evander Kane Evander Frank Kane (born August 2, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), winger for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and San ...

game-tying goal that was a unsuccessful challenge and that was criticized by the media. The Oilers ended up winning the game 7–4, and ultimately went on to win the next three games, eliminating the Kings for the fourth consecutive season. Despite being eliminated against the Oilers in the 2025 playoffs new general manager

Ken Holland Kenneth Mark Holland (born November 10, 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former goaltender, and is currently serving as the vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. Holland most not ...

announced that Hiller would remain as head coach of the Kings for the 2025–26 season.

Career statistics

Head coaching record

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hiller, Jim 1969 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Atlanta Knights players BSC Preussen Berlin players Binghamton Rangers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chilliwack Bruins coaches Detroit Red Wings coaches Detroit Red Wings players HC Milano players Ice hockey coaches Ice hockey people from British Columbia Los Angeles Kings coaches Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players Melville Millionaires players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions New York Islanders coaches New York Rangers players Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey players Sportspeople from Port Alberni Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Prince Albert Raiders players Starbulls Rosenheim players Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Tri-City Americans coaches 20th-century Canadian sportsmen