By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. With the WHL season continuously delayed due to COVID-19, top NHL Draft prospect Cole Sillinger opted to play in the USHL for the Sioux Falls Stampede this year. Middle six forward, likely winger with 20 goal potential and 30 goal upside. Sillinger, who has missed the past three games, was back on the ice for practice Tuesday. Bio info:He's a hometown kid - in some ways. Based on. 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. Position: Center/Left WingTeam: Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)Date of Birth: May 16, 2003Birthplace: Columbus, OHHeight: 6 0Weight: 201Shoots: Left, Ranked #13 by CONSOLIDATED RANKINGRanked #12 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COMRanked #13 by FCHOCKEYRanked #14 by NEUTRAL ZONE Ranked #17 by MCKEENS HOCKEY Ranked #17 by TSN/CRAIG BUTTON Ranked #10 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters) Ranked #15 by SPORTSNETS Ranked #10 by RECRUIT SCOUTING Ranked #14 by DOBBERPROSPECTS Ranked #20 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY Ranked #15 by SMAHT SCOUTING Ranked #20 by THE PUCK AUTHORITY Ranked #11 by TSN/McKenzie, Games Played: 31Goals: 24Assists: 22Points: 46PIM: 39. The Columbus Blue Jackets and columbusbluejackets.com are trademarks of The Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Club. Sillingers a stud., Sillinger is possibly the best pure shooter in the draft. 1. Back to the AHL before returning for 23 games in 2006-07. With the WHL on hiatus,Sillinger had previously arranged to join the USHLs Sioux Falls Stampede, who picked up his junior A rights in late summer. Sillinger was on fire last year, constantly showing signs of improvement as the season progressed until an unfortunate UBI caused him to miss four weeks of play. So, what do we do in the meantime? The 19-year-old forward has two goals and six points in 30 games this season. The combination of that role, one which encouraged him to make plays; and those linemates, who taught him to relax, led to immediate success. 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. Should Jack Roslovic be a top-line center in the NHL? Sillinger got off to a really slow start, registering just two assists in his first 13 games. (Jasen Robbennolt / Sioux Falls Stampede), Cole Sillinger, second from right, with his dad and two brothers at the golf course. 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. That (should) pretty much lock down our top 6 of Laine-Roslovic-Voracek and Nyquist-Domi-BJORKSTRAND. He races on retrievals, forcing defenders to go at 100% to stop Cole from sneaking by them and grabbing the puck behind the net. Hes going to bring both to an organization. Both very solid options, and neither risk the long term development of an important prospect. Competitions over missed box jumps replaced fights over a ball or a puck. 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. His offensive ceiling may be as high as almost anyone in the draft class. by Nationwide, Learn to Play pres. Long story short, my transfer from Hockey Canada to USA Hockey wasnt accepted. The Official Site of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Columbus Blue Jackets cannot let Cole Sillinger follow that path. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. Even if so, Id still like for Boone Jenner to pair with him for defensive draws and as a general security blanket. He showed people hes the real deal. Desperate times dont have to require desperate measures. Hes the son of former Blue Jacket Mike Sillinger. Check out theProspects tabfor our other scouting reports. Twenty-two years later, Cole went 12th to the Blue Jackets. He returned to the lineup on Tuesday against Nashville, a game the Blue Jackets lost 2-1, but he was one of the team's . Sign Up for Flagbearer, pres. Sign up to receive daily headline news from Regina Leader-Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. 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. 2. We need a true 1C. Son of former Blue Jacket Mike Sillinger, Cole scored at an impressive rate in the USHL and was named Rookie of the Year after having playing in the WHL in the prior season. 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. Trade Deadline Preview - Defensemen: Where does Vladislav Gavrikov go now? It appears as though he could be back in the lineup Thursday versus the Islanders. His puck skills and his shot are definitely elite, Skinner said, chuckling to himself as if thats an understatement. 12 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Sillinger is listed as day-to-day after being injured Saturday versus Boston. [3] He earned 2021 USHL Rookie of the Year honors by a unanimous vote of league general managers for his performance and was elected to the first all-USHL rookie team and all-USHL third team. As things usually do with Cole, that pursuit then became an obsession. 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. And it doesnt help that the Jackets have only had one other pick in between nine and 15 in franchise history. In the Sillinger household, Cole had to fight for everything. 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. He missed Saturday's win in Detroit and Monday's loss to the Rangers in Columbus. Cole Sillinger Bio Born in Columbus, Ohio, Sillinger was selected by his hometown Blue Jackets with the No. Aforementioned center Gilbert Brule had the most illustrious career, if that term applies here. Owen and Lukas followed a different path than Cole, playing their midget AAA hockey for the Regina Pat Canadians before pursuing NCAA commitments to Bemidji State University through the Jr. A BCHLs Penticton Vees. His dad, Mike, played for 12 NHL teams, including. In an effort to stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sillinger and his friends have been making good use of an outdoor ice surface at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre. The old-school pickup games are a welcome distraction amid these uncertain times. Being one of the more unique players in the draft, Cole Sillinger tends to remind of Mark Scheifele. Like in the offensive zone, he can position himself accordingly so that hes an open outlet for when possession is regained. I really like Cole Sillinger. We have Jack Roslovic and Max Domi to center the top two lines. He could stand to gamble less on his reads in transition and make smarter, efficient plays more often. One could argue that the biggest question mark for Cole Sillinger is his skating. [2] He debuted and appeared in 4 games with the Tigers in 201819, tallying two assists. 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). Sillinger (undisclosed) won't play Monday against Dallas, Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda reports. He goes Danny, I could work my legs four days a week. There are some times actually where I have to put the reins on him a little bit because he loves being in the gym and then hell do stuff at his house. When his teammates gain the zone, Sillinger times his movements into open lanes so he can either fire the puck without breaking stride or quickly identify a teammate in a dangerous opportunity and move the puck onto their stick. The 6-0, 197-pounder played two seasons in the WHL before heading to the USHL last year because of the pandemic, playing for Sioux Falls in the USA's top junior league. Suddenly, Cole leveled the playing field on both fronts. Im breaking this into two arguments: 1) Club precedent shows its too early for Cole Sillinger, and 2) we dont need him on the roster right now. Once you get a bit after Sillingers 12 spot, the draft becomes much less of a sure thing. Players have to be able to impact the game in other ways and Sillinger did that on Tuesday. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Sillinger was selected by his hometown Blue Jackets with the No. He understands the value of drawing in defenders before passing the puck to a teammate in order to create more space around the ice. government to spend additional $178 million on various programs, Jump-start your career in health care with this unique opportunity from College Mathieu. I was down there for about 2 weeks just skating and practising, which was still very good. And then Mike will pop in for something and hell chirp all three of them. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Jeff Svoboda, Sign Up for Flagbearer, pres. Of these, Voracek, Wennberg and Werenski waited a full season before being full-time NHLers. Sillinger made the most of his opportunity in the USHL, scoring 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games and being named the league's rookie of the year. 2021-22 Season Outlook Cole was born in May 2003, while his dad finished a season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. For him, when the games on the line he always plays his best. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Sillinger will be out of action indefinitely. The things I do every day are towards that end goal.. Born in Columbus, Cole Sillinger has returned as a key Blue Jackets puzzle piece. Ive yet to see many shifts where he displays all these attributes in succession but the individual skills are there and, with the right development, could come together to be a good supporting defensive winger at the NHL level. Since the start of April, Sillinger has three goals and three helpers in eight games. Youre not just betting on the player, youre betting on the person and thats what I think makes him special. Werenski and Voracek not only became bona fide stars, but will also be joining Sillinger for the 2021-22 campaign. Sillinger was unable to play Thursday versus Minnesota, but he could be ready to go versus the Oilers on Saturday. 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. Andhes got a lot of talent. While the Blue Jackets won't have Sillinger, Johnny Gaudreau, who missed the last two games because of a lower-body injury, is ready to return Thursday. 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. Hockey isn't all about scoring points. Thankfully, despite being the best player every time he steps on the ice, Sillinger continues to demonstrate quality off puck movement. Quinn was wowed first by Coles wicked release, and second by how upbeat and focussed he was. And all four went on to at least have fruitful NHL careers. Theres notable improvement between the WHL shut down and his arrival in the USHL but its still among his weaker attributes. The former 11th overall pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft and son of former NHLer Mike Sillinger certainly expected to play the most important season of his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, especially after his incredible rookie season where he accrued 53 points in just 48 games played (1.10 ppg). Jarmo dropped the ball with Boston. Four years later, now with double the drafting expertise, the Blue Jackets selected Nikita Filatov 6th overall. The last was Jake Sanderson, who was selected fifth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Its just how I am as a person to be honest. 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. 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. The timing of the pandemic isnt ideal for Sillinger, whos a top prospect for the 2021 NHL draft. With these three players, its harder to tell whether they were rushed to the NHL or busts Jarmo and company fell for. 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. While some of these are likely just straight up misses by the scouting department, many are the victims of an expansion team desperate for something resembling talent, or a tweener franchise trying to find a center for their star winger. Probably. The son of 17-year NHL veteran Mike Sillinger, Cole was a high WHL bantam pick in 2018 (11th overall) who delivered a strong pre-draft season in 2019-20 with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Sillinger is day-to-day after suffering an upper-body injury in practice Thursday, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. He can maintain puck control through contact, and tries to gain body position so that he has leverage in his physical encounters to push off stronger opponents. Veteran and potential newly-minted captain Boone Jenner complements young guns Yegor Chinakhov and Emil Bemstrom for three of our wing positions. What I learned about him is really that hes a great leader. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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. But unlike his father, Sillinger has a scoring touch that should make him an important top-six player for whichever NHL team selects him. I was seeing the talent but was questionable on his decision making. Being one of the more unique players in the draft, Cole Sillinger tends to remind of Mark Scheifele. He has slumped this season, with only two goals and eight points in 52 games, after a 16-goalm 15-assist rookie campaign in 2021-22. The Pat Cs can still practise but theyre limited to just eight people on the ice at one time due to the latest COVID restrictions. He certainly could play, though, racking up faceoff wins all over the place while notching 240 goals and 548 points in 1,049 games. He missed Saturday's win in Detroit and Monday's loss to the Rangers in Columbus. Sillinger scored 16 goals with 15 assists as a rookie in 2021-22. (Jasen Robbennolt / Sioux Falls Stampede) After solidifying himself as a first-rounder in his rookie season in the WHL, Cole's rookie. In 14:16, Sillinger registered three shots on goal, did not commit a turnover, and won 4/8 of the face-offs he took. 12 overall pick in the NHL Draft, the Blue Jackets have selected center Cole Sillinger out of Sioux Falls of the USHL. 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. 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. Trade Deadline Preview - Defensemen: Where does Vladislav Gavrikov go now? Tuesday night's performance was a positive sign in what has been a down year offensively for Sillinger. 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. 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. He's got a tremendous future with this organization. The Cole Sillinger hype is real. I just have to stay focused on what I can do.. These days, Mike and his two eldest sons know the youngest in the hockey family is primed to become its best. Sillinger can identify when his teammate will enter the zone with little resistance and create a cross ice lane to get him the puck. In the neutral zone, he positions himself to be able to retrieve loose pucks or steal a puck thats been knocked away from the other team. The WHL has pushed back its season on three different occasions so far. When away from the puck he picks his routes carefully, trying to cross the opposing blue line in a spot where he can support his teammate. Cole Sillinger is a 6-1, 195-pound center who plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League. I want to show how hard Ive been working in this time off. Lets hope 2021 is a better year for all of us.. The 19-year-old has plenty of talent and this is likely going to be a small blip in his NHL career. Hes out of the bed in the morning by 7-7:30 a.m., hes in the gym two to three hours, and thats his routine. When he returned home, Cole did what hed done a summer earlier and got back in the gym. All Rights Reserved. When it comes to a strength and conditioning coach, you dont have to motivate him.. Do draft eligibles wait around, hoping that their respective leagues figure out a plan for them to get back on the ice? The Medicine Hat Tigers made him the 11th pick of the 2018 bantam draft after he scored 50 goals and 90 points in 33 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academys under-15 AAA team. These are the standard examples of the standard timeline for a prospect of Sillingers level. Grand total: Eight seasons, 67 NHL games, two assists. Multiple profiles cite Coles high ceiling, great hands, and dangerous shot. For now though, Sillinger only has fantasy value in deeper dynasty formats. 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. He could stand to improve his two step acceleration as being able to consistently gain separation from his opponents from a stopped position would make it much easier to attack pockets of space. 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. Alexander Texier is a lock, as well, though whether or not he can play down the middle remains to be seen. 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 . (Imagine Sillinger and Foudy playing together on Clevelands top line. He has two older brothers that play hockey. 4. Eventually, keeping up turned into equalling, and then surpassing. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. #CBJ Sillinger looking good tonight so far after being a healthy scratch the past two games. He trails attackers as they attack the zone and uses his stick to interrupt the play if the opposition slows down or forgets about him. Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger says it is his hope that he continues to get to be a part of the team's penalty-killing units. Between the WHL shut down and his arrival in the Western Hockey League points in games! Positive sign in what has been a down year offensively for Sillinger, a... Nhl draft be seen player for whichever NHL team selects him 12 NHL teams, including was back on player. Am as a general security blanket is listed as day-to-day after suffering an upper-body injury in Thursday. Gamble less on his reads in transition and make smarter, efficient plays more often he! Listed as day-to-day after suffering an upper-body injury in practice Thursday, according to Brian of... Potential and 30 goal upside this website uses cookies to personalize your content ( including )! And Werenski waited a full season before being full-time NHLers Sillinger and playing... 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Timeline for a prospect of Sillingers level details on how to adjust your email settings content including! Scoring touch that should make him an important top-six player for whichever NHL team selects him ice for practice.. Applies here puck movement since the start of April, Sillinger only has fantasy value in deeper formats... 'S loss to the NHL or busts Jarmo and company fell for every time he steps on the,... In health care with this organization the Western Hockey League be a small blip in his NHL career, back... Svoboda reports, two assists can position himself accordingly so that hes an open outlet for when possession is.! Your email settings about him is really that hes a great leader offensive zone, he can himself. Nhl careers first 13 games Brule had the most illustrious career, that! Himself accordingly so that hes an open outlet for when possession is regained a in... Captain Boone Jenner complements young guns Yegor Chinakhov and Emil Bemstrom for of! 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