Dillan Fox, a 2009 graduate of Lower Dauphin High School, made his first appearance on the Giant Center ice Monday as an invitee to the Hershey Bears 2019 training camp.
During his senior year senior year in high school, he played for the Central Penn Panthers, also played a couple years for the Hershey Jr. Bears and a little with the Jr. Flyers. After four years at SUNY-Plattsburgh (30 goals, 46 assists) he said he felt he still wanted to play and was fortunate enough to get an opportunity and is still going at it at the age of 28.
Fox had a brief stop in Reading during the 2017-18 campaign (10 GP-1G/2A) saying, “It was nice to be able to stay close to home after moving around for some time. I started 2018-19 with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Roanoke Rail Yard dogs (7 goals, 9 assists) in 24 games before moving up to the ECHL with Maine in January.
“At the end of the day it is a business and I felt I had a better opportunity going to the Maine Mariners where I finished third in goals (16) plus 10 assists that helped me get an ECHL contract with them for this season,” Fox continued. “The staff there really helped me by putting me in a role that helped me succeed. Without that help, I wouldn’t be here today.”
“At the end of the season, I talked with the Mariners coaches and asked about getting an opportunity at the AHL level, maybe with Hartford the AHL affiliate for Maine. but also asked about maybe something closer to home like Hershey,” Fox continued. “They reached out to Bryan Helmer, who helped set things up, and I feel based on the numbers I had, I deserved this opportunity to be here. I’m here on a PTO so if I get released here then my ECHL rights are with Maine and any other AHL team could pick me up.”
Most of Fox’s pro career has been in the SPHL where he has played in 110 games with Mississippi and Roanoke collecting 87 points on 46 goals and 41 helpers.
“I went to the Bears games in the old arena, and I think you don’t really appreciate that place until you get older and start playing minor league hockey and had the very best place to play right here in my backyard,” said Fox. “I got to be friends with Mike Green and Brooks Laich who were on the Hershey 2005-06 Calder Cup team and then went onto be pretty good NHL guys.”
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