John Lilley was a right winger who played in college at Boston University. He briefly played in the NHL with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, appearing in 23 games over three seasons, from 1993-96. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1990 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, but never played with them. As a minor leaguer, Lilley started with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL (Western Hockey League), and then played with the San Diego Gulls of the IHL (International Hockey League). He later played with the Los Angeles Ice Dogs and Detroit Vipers of the IHL, and was with the Baltimore Bandits and Rochester Americans in the AHL (American Hockey League), before going to Germany in 1997. He played four years in Germany with EG Düsseldorf, the Kassel Huskies, and the Schwenningen Wild Wings. Lilley finished his career back in the States with two seasons with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the West Coast Hockey League.