Prospect report written by Sam McGilligan. After briefly leaving the Tigers to score five goals in six games with Team Canada White at the under-17 worlds in the fall of his rookie season, Cole was slotted with veterans Brett Kemp and Ryan Chyzowski atop the lineup. The hype for the local kid is starting to build. Cole likely had a lot of addresses as a kid as his dad moved through the league, but he still represents Team Canada at the international level. Hes effective in give and go situations, often demonstrating that he understands how to utilize his teammates close to him to maintain controlled possession in zone entries. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Sillinger does possess a wide variety of these traits and with further refinement in how each tool is used in conjunction with the rest of his toolkit, its easy to see how his elusive behaviours would translate to the NHL. All Rights Reserved. Despite the missed time, he came back from injury without missing a beat and went right back to his upwards trajectory of getting better with every game. D.O.B May 16, 2003Nationality CanadaDraft Eligibility 2021Height60Weight187 lbsPosition CenterHandedness Left. There he served as a top-six forward and power-play specialist (26 power-play points) but also killed penalties and delivered 53 points and 181 shots (3.77 per . When it was Coles turn to be drafted, he was already 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, a full four or five inches and 40-plus pounds more than Owen and Lukas were at the same age. Now that Next Levels program has wrapped up, Sillinger trains in small groups at the Co-operators Centre with his former team, the Regina Pat Canadians, who played seven games before their season was put on hold. The Cannon Cast Episode 193: The Gavrikov Trade Debacle, Game #61 Gamethread: Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres, Click here to donate and help pay our writers through the rest of the season, Scott Wheelers draft ranking in The Athletic, Game #61 Preview: Blue Jackets travel to Buffalo to take on red-hot Sabres. Hes showing flashes of knowing when to pressure forecheckers, when to retreat back towards the blue line, when to come low to support his defence and when to get his stick/body in passing lanes to shut them down or intercept the puck. In elementary school, when teachers would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer was always simple. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Check out theProspects tabfor our other scouting reports. He was the kid that used to get nervous for fitness testing. Sillinger scored 16 goals with 15 assists as a rookie in 2021-22. Sillinger sat out Thursday's tilt versus Minnesota with the illness, but was back at practice Friday. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Twenty-two years later, Cole went 12th to the Blue Jackets. The transfer was completed on January 13th 2021 and, at the time of writing this article, Sillinger is nearly maintaining a goal per game pace with 7 goals and 12 points in his first 8 games. Since the start of April, Sillinger has three goals and three helpers in eight games. Never miss a beat in Canadian Curling with the new On The Rocks newsletter, Stay Posted on Canadian Curling with the On The Rocks newsletter, Top NHL prospect Cole Sillinger has gone old school during the pandemic, Charlebois: Spring cleaning at Tim Hortons, Sask. Both players had questionable skating at the time of their draft but made up through it with deception, a tendency to hunt for open space, strong off puck play and an eye for narrow passing lanes. Hes certainly too good for the USHL and would benefit from playing against better opposition for the sake of his development. It doesn't appear that the injury is too serious, but the Jackets will likely exercise caution with their 2021 first-round pick before the regular season. But Cole Sillinger, the youngest of three sons, only remembers his dad playing for one: the New York Islanders. Enter Search Term. On July 23, 2021, Sillinger was selected 12th overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2021 draft.[4]. Mike Sillinger played for a lot of teams. I believed that I took full advantage of those 10 months off of training and did everything I possibly could in that time and I wanted to go showcase it in a season.. He races on retrievals, forcing defenders to go at 100% to stop Cole from sneaking by them and grabbing the puck behind the net. The Columbus Blue Jackets cannot let Cole Sillinger follow that path. Cole Sillinger may have convinced Brad Larsen and Jarmo Kekalainen that hes NHL ready, but that was by playing in Traverse City and in the preseason. The Columbus Blue Jackets currently hold three picks in that round: #5, #24, and #31. However, note that all four players took a gap year to further their development. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Coles earliest childhood memories are of Christmas skates at Nassau Coliseum, where hed hold hands with Mike Comrie or Rick DiPietro as he learned to skate. Hockey Sense's Chris Peters says, "Sillinger has one of the best releases in this draft, quick, accurate and deceptive. Read more about cookies here. The Columbus native was taken by his hometown team 12th overall in the 2021 draft, and has convinced the coaching staff over the past 10 weeks to grant him a spot among the 23 players to be paid the big bucks starting Thursday, likely playing with Boone Jenner and Max Domi. It seems like I cant catch a break but at the same time everyone is in the same boat. The. Sillinger has yet to record a point through the first seven games of the season. That just leaves four wings and the 3C to find players for. Sillinger is more than a pure goal scorer, hes also proven to be a dangerous passer in all areas of the ice. 12 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Cole showed off his ability to find the back of the net, potting four goals in the high-scoring affair. Hes only played in six NHL games since, and was later released by both the KHLs HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and AHLs Charlotte Checkers in the same season, both after less than ten games. View the Columbus Blue Jackets Privacy Policy AdChoices NHL.com Terms of Service Please use the feedback form if you have any recommendations or comments. Scott has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, the National Post, SB Nation and several other outlets in the past. The Blue Jackets failed to bounce back from Tuesday's shutout loss to the Panthers, but the silver lining for Sillinger is that he put an end to a 12-game point drought. Sillinger (upper body) continues to practice in a limited capacity. When allowed based on pandemic restrictions, Mike and Karla made more than half a dozen trips to visit Cole in Sioux Falls, where Mike became a regular at practice, helping the teams centers on faceoffs. Even the best results the Blue Jackets have gotten in this range, three of the four taken several picks before him, were all given at least a full season before making their NHL debuts. While his shot is dangerous in many ways, what really elevates Coles game to the next level is his propensity to hunt for medium/high danger chances over low danger shots. 1st Ohio Battery is where Columbus Blue Jackets fans gather. Eventually, keeping up turned into equalling, and then surpassing. It can help generate a stride that is more powerful with longer, deeper extensions thus providing improvements in both explosivity and top speed. Enter Search Term. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. The ball. He made the team out of camp in 2005, got injured in his second game, then got injured again in November. Cole Sillinger is not getting that. On Sunday, Cole Sillinger officially became the first 18 year old Blue Jacket to make the opening night roster under General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen. You can often catch him scanning around the defensive zone, keeping track of where the opposition is. The modern day NHL is about creating space all over the ice through active off puck movement and while elite skating is a very valuable tool in doing so, its not a necessity. Look for a big improvement this season, especially if he able to spend any time at forward with either Johnny Gaudreau and/or Patrik Laine. Cole Sillinger Position: Center/Left Wing Team: Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) Date of Birth: May 16, 2003 Birthplace: Columbus, OH Height: 6' 0" Weight: 201 Shoots: Left Rankings Ranked #13 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING Ranked #12 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM Ranked #13 by FCHOCKEY Ranked #14 by NEUTRAL ZONE Ranked #17 by MCKEEN'S HOCKEY Its a really cool dynamic.. No reason in particular. He looks to be the next son of a Blue Jackets alumni to be selected in the first round. We are less than a month away from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (July 23-24), so its time to start researching the prospects likely to be selected in the first round. He doesnt try to force the pass if the lane doesnt exist and will often cutback and reset looking for the next play to make. In the weeks leading up to the NHL draft in July, Cole Sillinger's family had a little fun making predictions . All Rights Reserved. That (should) pretty much lock down our top 6 of Laine-Roslovic-Voracek and Nyquist-Domi-BJORKSTRAND. That leaves the unsuccessful prospects. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. At Reginas Level 10 Fitness, under strength and conditioning coach Dan Yaskowitch, Cole and Owen were the loud ones. Come on, Cole,' Mike said, laughing. Sillinger would be eligible to return following the holiday break -- the Blue Jackets host the Sabres on Tuesday in their first game after the pause. Just as he was really starting to put it all together, the WHL season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID19 pandemic and Sillingers impressive rookie season had come to a close. Sillingers closest comparable, in terms of development timeline, is Gilbert Brule, the guy who got injured in his second game and never recovered. He has slumped this season, with only two goals and eight points in 52 games, after a 16 . He wants to be a pro and is definitely going to be, Skinner said. The family briefly resided in Phoenix, Arizona, St. Louis, Missouri and Garden City, New York, as Mike's career led him on to play for the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and New York Islanders, respectively. He has the means to do so as well, as he boasts a quick release that generates a ton of velocity with very little sacrifice in accuracy. Tuesday night's performance was a positive sign in what has been a down year offensively for Sillinger. He still occasionally misreads and over commits on certain plays (especially on the penalty kill, he shouldnt be out there at 5v4) but again, hes shown repeatedly that he is capable of being a valuable contributor defensively so its possible for consistency to be developed here with more experience. We cant do three-on-twos or battle drills or one-on-ones; its more skill-type stuff, but Im fortunate enough to skate with them, said Sillinger, whos trying to make the best of a difficult situation. Hes going to bring both to an organization. Since being a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets' Jan. 14 win against Detroit and Jan. 16 loss . Its just how I am as a person to be honest. His 1.1 points per game (53 points in 48 games) also led all of the leagues under-17 players, solidifying him as one of the top prospects for the 2021 NHL Draft. Hockey isn't all about scoring points. In fact, the only Blue Jackets prospects to not return to the minors, AHL, or Europe before playing in the NHL, prior to Sillinger, were Rick Nash and Gilbert Brule. As Cole prepared for his first full season in the WHL in 2019, his family began to realize that he had something special. He was taken with the No. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the return of the Western Hockey League, the Tigers agreed to send Sillinger to the Sioux Falls Stampede in the United States Hockey League on a one-year loan agreement. While not overly physical, he doesnt shy away from contact in order to make the best play available. [5] His father played professional hockey for the Columbus Blue Jackets at the time of his birth. This was a little bump in the road.". Cole Sillinger Db. He doesnt just mindlessly give the puck away when he cant find a shooting lane, he times his passes so that theyre often received in stride surrounded by an open pocket of space. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. The 19-year-old forward has two goals and six points in 30 games this season. Comparison. Like most junior hockey superstars Cole Sillinger is a player who wants to score goals and see that lamp light up. He was more committed this season which is nice to see. Veteran and potential newly-minted captain Boone Jenner complements young guns Yegor Chinakhov and Emil Bemstrom for three of our wing positions. Those skills also complement a wrist shot that pops off of his blade in line with the two other best shooters in the draft (Lucius and McTavish). All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Please try again. Four years later, now with double the drafting expertise, the Blue Jackets selected Nikita Filatov 6th overall. Odds & lines subject to change. Jarmo dropped the ball with Boston. One could argue that the biggest question mark for Cole Sillinger is his skating. Sillinger (undisclosed) won't play Monday against Dallas, Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda reports. His skating is good, hes got great hands, hes got size. Per moneypuck.com, Sillinger registered 0.373 expected goals at five-on-five, which ranked fourth on the team, and his 80.4% on-ice expected goals-for percentage was the best on the Blue Jackets. While his effort in the defensive zone isnt as consistent as his effort in the offensive zone, theres no denying that he understands how to be a competent defender and what his role is. 12 overall pick in the NHL Draft, the Blue Jackets have selected center Cole Sillinger out of Sioux Falls of the USHL. View the Columbus Blue Jackets Privacy Policy AdChoices NHL.com Terms of Service Please use the feedback form if you have any recommendations or comments. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. He combines strong edgework with a lower center of gravity to shield the puck from bigger opposition, while also displaying sharp cuts and pivots to quickly slide through narrow gaps. He showed people hes the real deal. After collecting enough miles going between the two leagues that he began worrying the extended warranty on his car was about to expire, Brule went off to Switzerland so the he could be in Switzerland instead of Norfolk, Virginia. The gifted centre was anxious to build upon a stellar rookie season in which he notched 22 goals and 53 points in just 48 WHL games. He clearly got in the weight room and put the time in. His top speed is lackluster, but he has shown improvement between last year and now so theres room to reasonably believe hell continue to improve. Sean Kuraly was explicitly signed to slot in at the 4C. Sillinger is still considered more in the day-to-day range, but the Blue Jackets will use his roster spot to activate Adam Boqvist (foot) in a corresponding move. All four waited at least a year. Sillinger employs his off puck play to be a capable defender too. He's a 19-year-old player who is one of the pillars of the franchise's rebuild. 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