NCAA Frozen Four: Providence's Jon Gillies put pro future on hold for national title shot

BOSTON – A year ago, Jon Gillies had a decision to make: Stay at Providence College or sign with the Calgary Flames, the team that drafted him in 2012.

The Friars’ trip to the 2014 NCAA tournament was their first since 2001, a big step in the program’s rebirth under head coach Nate Leaman. Providence lost only three seniors in the off-season, so the idea of reaching a Frozen Four in 2015 wasn’t out of the question.

It was with that that Gillies put aside the allure of signing a professional contract and announced he would be returning for his junior season. He saw what Leaman had built since the coach arrived in 2011 and felt future success was still to be had.

“A few things (went through my mind),” said Gillies, “but where we’re sitting right now, I knew the team we had in our locker room and the type of character players on and off the ice that I would have the privilege of playing with once again. It was a couple day process, but at the end of the day, the reason you come back to college hockey is to be a part of something like this and have a chance to compete for a national championship.”

In the NCAA tournament, the Friars dispatched both Miami and Denver to punch their ticket to Boston and the school’s first Frozen Four since 1985.

Gillies had signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Northeastern in 2012, but asked for his release after the Huskies’ starting goalie decided to return to school. From there, he was offered the no. 1 jobs at Providence and also with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior League. Leaman was a big reason why he committed to the Friars.

“I think confidence is a big part of it," Gillies said, "and Coach Leaman's confidence in where this program was headed was really evident when my family and I sat down with him. Obviously, the campus at Providence is beautiful and the support staff that helps us beyond the ice is second to none, as well.

“There were a lot of factors that went into it from that standpoint, but Coach Leaman, definitely his intensity and his attention to detail and all those things that everyone already knows just came to the forefront, and I couldn't be happier with my decision.”

After struggling in the second half of last season, Gillies has been the backbone of the Friars in 2014-15 posting a .929 save percentage and recording four shutouts.

Those struggles of a year ago were what Leaman described as a “really healthy thing” for Gillies to go through.

This season, consistency has been key.

“This year he hasn’t hit any rough patches,” Leaman said. “He’s been very consistent. He understands how hard you have to practice. He understands the details that matter in his game. I think it’s a big reason why there’s only one time this year we lost back-to-back games.”

Gillies said he didn’t make any drastic overhauls to his game in the summer. He focused, instead, on ironing out the little details. He also continued to use the motivation placed on him by Leaman to improve.

After the NCAA Regionals, Gllies noted that Leaman has been pretty tough on him during his time at Providence due to the high expectations. But that tough love has made all the difference in the end.

“We might butt heads sometimes when it's actually happening, but it's been probably the biggest part of my development, looking back on it,” Gillies said.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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