Junior Hoilett, a forward by preference though pinned to the left wing more often than not, currently adorns the number 23 jersey for Hibernian. Born a Canadian on 5 June 1990, he stands a mere 5ft 8in (1.73m) in height and tips the scales at 11 stone (70kg). He's even graced the Canadian national team with his presence.
Hoilett enjoyed a somewhat nomadic existence before washing up on the shores of the Scottish Premiership. After ripping it up for Paderborn 07 in Germany's 2. Bundesliga with a tremendous one goal from 12 appearances in the 2007-2008 season, St. Pauli recognised his talents and whisked him off to Germany's top tier in July 2008.
Prior to leaving the Bundesliga for the promised lands of English Championship football with Blackburn Rovers in July 2009, he had managed to bag six goals from 26 appearances - clearly too hot for the top tier in Germany to handle. Uncle Sam's nephew's time at Blackburn was noted for his 24 appearances and the crowds baying for a fifth goal in the 2010 - 2011 season (he only mustered four), and the following season's repetitive chant of "Seven from 34 ain't bad, eh?".
Queens Park Rangers (QPR) ponied up an undisclosed fee for his services in July 2012, keeping him until June 2016 in a rather uninspiring spell including stints of 22 games without a goal and moments of tremendous joy for completing 29 games with a half-dozen goals at best.
After QPR waved him cheerio in 2016 without anyone stepping in to snag him, he found wind under his wings at Cardiff City in October of the same year. There he stayed for five somewhat sedentary seasons, an average goal every nine games or so providing a highlight.
A brief sojourn to Reading in August 2021, where he maintained his modest scoring record, was followed by a jaunt across the pond to the Vancouver Whitecaps in September 2023. Here, his seven appearances in the MLS didn't quite set the world alight.
Thus followed his tour of the Scottish Premiership, starting with Aberdeen in February 2024 with a humbling haul of two goals from 13 games, followed by his current residence at Hibernian where he celebrated the 2024-2025 season with an almost remarkable four goals in 28 outings.
Heโs also managed to notch up several substitute appearances in other competitions for Hibs, including the Scottish Cup and various European qualifier games, though it's safe to say that heโs not exactly been threatening any scoring records or attracting admiring glances from other clubs.
