Born in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, Hillier started playing as a goaltender when he was six years old.
He found his cousin's equipment and thought "how cool it was" to play goaltender[1] After four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67's, Hillier turned pro in 1998.
Hillier made his professional debut against the then-Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings in a preseason game as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in September 1998.
Shortly after, Hillier was reassigned to Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate in Syracuse, where he was immediately placed into the role of starting goaltender.
[2] During the 2009–10 season, Hillier was also the goaltending coach for the Saint Mary's Huskies Women's Hockey Team, helping them to their first Conference championship in 6 years, which also led them to play in the national AUHC tournament[2]