Army West Point Athletics
Colin Bilek Inducted Into Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor
January 03, 2023 | Hockey
The Atlantic Hockey Association is celebrating its 20th season of competition in 2022-23 with the recognition of the top 20 players from the conference's first two decades. This distinguished group will also comprise the first class of inductees into the Atlantic Hockey Hall of Honor. Bilek is the second Army Hockey alum inducted into the inaugural Hall of Honor class, joining current Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie who was honored on October 11th as the third member inducted. Â
A native of Brighton, Michigan, Colin Bilek came to West Point after a two-year stint with the Northeast Generals in the NAHL, accounting for 90 points and earning 2018 All-East team honors in the league. Bilek made an immediate impact during his freshman campaign, skating in 38 of Army's 39 games. He was the Black Knights top plebe scorer, amassing 17 points from seven goals and ten assists. Â
His sophomore campaign saw more consistent playing time, as Bilek posted 20 points to rank second on the team. Logging seven goals once again with four power-play scores, he added 13 assists and 21 blocks. Bilek was named a team captain following his sophomore year.Â
Bilek broke out during his junior season in 2020, leading Atlantic Hockey with 18 goals, which ranked third in the country. His stellar play which featured 25 points in 18 games helped the Black Knights to a 15-5-1 overall record including a 10-3-1 mark in conference play. He earned Atlantic Hockey Player of the month in both January and February, before landing on the All-Atlantic Hockey First Team and USCHO All-America Second Team. Â
During his senior campaign, Bilek led the conference in points with 31 at the end of the regular season as well as contributing to a top-20 penalty kill in the country. He led the Black Knights in goals with 11, in assists with a career-high 20, and points with 31; his 145 shots were second in the league. He finished with three multi-goal games, including a hat-trick against Yale on November 12. Bilek was named the AHA Player of the Month in November after a seven-point month where he scored four times and recorded two assists in five games to lead the team in points and goals. After another All-Atlantic Hockey First Team selection following the season, Bilek became the first Atlantic Hockey player to earn multiple All-American selections.
Overall, Bilek amassed 43 goals and 51Â assists in his career at West Point and was a two-time Hobey Baker Award nominee. He signed a professional contract with the Manitoba Moose upon graduation, the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets. After a 21-game stint with the Trois-Rivieres Lions in the ECHL which saw Bilek score eight goals with seven assists, Bilek was recalled to the Moose in December 2022 and recently made his AHL debut.
