Alex Killorn’s Value Shows On and Off the Ice

Alex Killorn goes by many names. Alex, of course. Killer, Foghorn, War Dog. Alexander is most likely reserved for his parents.

Killorn has earned the right to go by so many names, with over 120 NCAA games, over 50 AHL games and now over 1,000 NHL games under his belt.

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He joined the Ducks in the summer of 2023 after spending the first 11 seasons of his NHL career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. While his four-year, $25 million contract at age 34 initially raised eyebrows, he’s proven that his value goes beyond his on-ice impact.

When Leo Carlsson was drafted second overall in 2023 and began navigating life as an NHLer at 18, it was Killorn who was placed on Carlsson’s wing by then-head coach Greg Cronin. Despite his lack of foot speed, Killorn’s knack for winning board battles and recovering pucks made him the ideal linemate for a creative playmaker in Carlsson.

“I just turned 34 and I’m skating with him, and he’s 18,” Killorn said at the time. “I kind of have to check myself just to realize how young (he is) and put myself in his position at times, but really impressed with him in the way he plays. Being a center at 18 playing in the NHL is very difficult, and I think he’s more than capable of doing so.”

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When Cutter Gauthier made his NHL debut at the end of the 2023-24 season, he played on a line with Carlsson and, you guessed it, Killorn.

The trio began the 2024-25 season as a line before Gauthier began experiencing a rollercoaster of line assignments, but Killorn remained a constant on Carlsson’s line. Gauthier’s improvement in his wall play can be attributed in part to Killorn, who at times would give Gauthier tips during or after practice on how to be stronger around the boards.

“(The wall work) has been coming good,” Gauthier said at the time. “Not playing winger for the last couple years, it’s still an adjustment period. Yeah, it’s only 11 games into the season, but still. You’re playing against the best players in the world and the best defensemen in the world. They know tendencies—they’ve played in the league for the very long time—that wingers are going to do, so it’s just getting used to the type of rim (around the boards), whether it’s hard, soft or where the pressure’s coming from. Killer’s helped a lot with a couple of pickup tips coming off the wall.”

As someone who played center while at Harvard before shifting to the wing once he turned pro, Killorn is familiar with the transition that Gauthier had to make.

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“I just want him to work on protecting the puck,” Killorn said. “College is a lot different from the NHL in terms of defensemen, how hard they play. If he can hold onto it for even a couple more seconds and just maintain possession, it’s going to help out our line big time.”

“I (liked) playing with Killer because he’s very smart,” former Ducks forward Trevor Zegras said. “He’s very good at playing in between guys and knows when to give you the puck, give you space, where to go, where to help and support.”

Gauthier, Zegras and Killorn as a line during the 2024-25 season totaled one goal and one goal against in 48 5v5 minutes. Their expected goals numbers were quite favorable, but Cronin split them up after just five games.

Killorn is always quick to note the strengths of his teammates, whether it was pointing out how much Zegras’ absence due to injury last season impacted the power play, describing how patient rookie defenseman Ian Moore is with the puck or pointing out the big step Jackson LaCombe took—before his monster 2024-25 season occurred.

Above all, Killorn wants himself and his teammates to be proud of the way they play every night, regardless of the result.

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“I think if you compete and play the right way, you may not win every night, but you’ll build and you’ll start playing the right way in things, no matter how long it takes. You’re building in the right direction.”

“Being that I’ve been on a lot of winning teams in the past, I’m definitely hoping to bring veteran leadership to this group,” Killorn said during his introductory conference call in 2023. “I know it’s probably a younger team than I’ve been on before, but I look forward to that. There’s so much talent when you look at the guys that are on this team and guys that are about to be on this team, whether it’s this year or the next year.  These are things that I thought about when I made this decision. So I’m hoping to bring kind of a veteran leadership, a guy who can help out offensively and defensively. That’s kind of what I did with Tampa, so I’m hoping to do the same here.”

While Killorn has been able to impart the wisdom gained from his 14 years of NHL experience to his teammates who are still early in their careers, that knowledge isn’t just limited to them. His peers closer in age have also learned from him.

“We’ve become really close off the ice,” Ryan Strome said. “One of my better friends. One of the better guys I met in hockey. We get along really well and mesh really well, our personalities. I know how hard it gets when you get a little older and you go through a different, separate phase. He’s done a great job of just staying consistent with his effort and his determination and what he brings to the table. He’s really consistent on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s practices or games, and that’s something that everyone’s going through. There’s always lessons you can learn. Even I can learn from a guy like him, just how he’s been consistent and just puts his head down and works. He’s always been that type of guy and it’s great to see.”

One area that’s become new for Killorn this past calendar year is becoming a father. His daughter, Camilla, was born in May 2025, which gave him several months to play full-time dad before getting geared up for the 2025-26 season.

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“It was great,” Killorn said. “A lot of guys have kids (during) the season. I couldn’t imagine that. It’s very difficult being on the road. I got to spend four solid months with her every day, so that was really special.”

“When you become close to somebody, you just talk a lot,” Strome said. “We sit beside each other on the plane and (are) always just (talking about) whatever it may be, whether it’s life, hockey, kids, post-career stuff. It’s been so great to get to know him (with) the way that we seem to bond and have similar interests and stuff. It’s been really fun for me. Playing against a guy for so long and getting to know him and becoming this close to him has been amazing. He deserves it, and he’s had a hell of a career and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of it.

On Feb. 3, the Ducks honored Killorn with a pregame ceremony, gifting him a pair of silver sticks: a player-sized one for him and a baby-sized one for Camilla. Killorn’s parents were also in attendance alongside Killorn’s wife, Tiffany.

Alex Killorn Honored for 1,000th NHL Game by Ducks and NHL The Anaheim Ducks celebrated Alex Killorn’s 1,000th NHL game with a ceremony at Honda Center with video tributes from his teammates and coaches past and pres…

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Tiffany also threw a party to commemorate Killorn’s 1000 NHL games the weekend prior, with many family and friends attending, including all of Killorn’s Ducks teammates.

“It was really cool, Killorn said. “Just special. I had a lot of friends and family (at the game) and this morning, just waking up puts everything in perspective. Your whole career, how many people have supported me throughout the way. Seeing my family pretty emotional on the ice and seeing my daughter, it was a really special moment for me.”

Something that sticks out to Killorn after all of these years is just the fact that he’s still playing. He noted how he wasn’t a top draft pick and had a head coach in Jon Cooper who believed in him and gave him plenty of ice time to become successful.

“He’s a great guy,” Ducks captain Radko Gudas said shortly after becoming a Duck in 2023. “He’s a great person (with a) great personality. He’s a leader with the way he plays and the way he carries himself. I won the Calder Cup with him before we made it to the NHL, so I had great memories with him before and I always knew he was a great player. I just want to see him doing this well and now we’ve got to work together as a team again and build something here for the guys here. We’re looking forward to that and I’m really thrilled for the opportunity for both of us to help these guys grow.”

Since joining the Ducks, Killorn has learned that you have to keep getting better. Sure, that may be a bit obvious, but it’s a reminder not to remain complacent, even after winning two Stanley Cups, as Killorn did.

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“I watched a video back when we were in the Cup Final in 2015 and the game’s changed so much in those 10 years,” Killorn said. “You just have to continue to keep getting better because if you don’t and you don’t reinvent yourself, you’ll be out of the league.”

With one year remaining on his contract after this season, it’s unclear how much longer Killorn intends to play. Strome said that Killorn has a good grasp of his post-playing career plans.

“I think he’s got a really good grasp on his future and business and his finances and like all those types of things. I think he’s really well-rounded. Some guys, you may think when they’re done playing, they might kind of struggle a little bit (with) their identity (outside of being a hockey player) or what they’re going to do. But I think a guy like him, he’s just so dialed in and he’s smart and he’s educated and calculated. He’s a lot of fun. When you have that total package, you’ll be more than just fine in your life and your career and whatever’s next.

“And for me, it’s cool because it’s made me kind of think about those things a little bit more than I have. I think he’s a great guy to learn from. And the other thing is, too, I think he’s been really good on our team for being able to hang out with all the guys, whether it’s old guys, young guys. I know he hangs out with the young guys a lot. I think when you have guys who are able to kind of bounce between those different age groups and stuff, it means a lot to the dressing room. I know I’m kind of one of those guys, but I think he’s taken a lot of load off me for doing some of that stuff and it’s been great to have him around.”

It was a big challenge for Killorn to come to Anaheim in 2023, leaving the only organization he’d ever known—an extremely successful one—to come to an organization that was still taking its lumps. But thanks to the leadership of players like Killorn, the tide is beginning to turn as they find themselves in a playoff spot in February, a sight that has rarely been seen in the past decade.

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“It’s been a challenge, one that I’ve accepted to come to a team that’s got a lot of young talent and help develop some of these guys,” Killorn said in 2024. “Gonna be something special here in the future, so I look forward to it. It’s been a different process than before, just because I was on a team that was maybe a little bit more veteran and was winning a little bit. But now, at least you can see the light here and you understand what they’re trying to build. It’s pretty impressive.”

“It was a huge adjustment (coming in Anaheim), just in the sense that I came to a different place, all new teammates. I was kind of used to one thing. I knew going into training camp what the coaching staff was going to be, what my teammates were going to be, how I was going to fit in. So in terms of that, there was a lot of unknown. But I feel like by the end of the year, I really found a place for myself in this team and was really happy with the way that the end of the season went.”