Will
Before the 2021 NHL Draft, if you had asked me to put together a list of players who seemed NHL-ready, that list would be short, and probably exclude the subject of this profile. When Columbus drafted Cole Sillinger in the 12th slot, I was pleasantly surprised to see them bet on a strong and well-rounded offensive history after a somewhat strange year that presented a version of Cole Sillinger that had some surface-level issues that have clearly been ironed out. He was one of the most inactive and inaccurate passers I’ve tracked, but one of the best offensive transition players up the middle in my dataset. His ability to use skill, physicality, and a remarkable release on his shot interchangeably was unique in the draft, and you could’ve easily convinced me to take Sillinger higher than my final rank of 15. Columbus took the plunge, and his experimental period on the NHL club is both unexpected, and after watching some tape, fascinating.
Sam
Although it took me longer to get a good read on him, Sillinger was a personal favourite of mine last year. His shot is the ultimate weapon and, when implemented properly, there wasn’t a soul in the USHL who was capable of properly reading and reacting to his shot. Of course, his release is spectacular, but what truly sets it apart are the seamless body mechanics before the shot that mask his intentions and provide options such as a shot, a pass or a skill-move to carry the puck further before a shot or a pass. He can shoot mid stride or mid drag with next to no tell, and this makes trying to defend Sillinger an absolute nightmare. Defenders are forced to react instead of anticipate as it is extremely difficult to account for his triple threat abilities without leaving an option open somewhere.
With all that said, there’s no denying that Sillinger’s playmaking for Sioux Falls last year trended towards problematic (as Will’s data showed). He blatantly ignored viable passing lanes for inefficient shots and had a tendency to do everything himself, there were stretches where he would just hover off-puck and wait for play to come to him, and there were numerous missed assignments defensively that could have prevented a dangerous chance against. This play style doesn’t necessarily fit with my philosophy and is a huge reason why I wasn’t able to figure him out as a player. On one hand, he was a dynamic shooter with tons of elite NHL level skills that knew how to attack dangerous spaces, manipulate defenders into bad areas and break down defensive structures single handedly. On the other hand, he wasn’t able to play as a member of a unit whatsoever. As a result, I went back and watched some of his DY-1 tape in the WHL with Medicine Hat to try and get a better picture for how he was before coming to the USHL. It was like watching a completely different player.
Coach Greg’s Take:
“Cole Sillinger was one of the prospects that I know well from this past draft after writing a piece on him with Justin Froese. He was a fascinating study as he played in the WHL before heading to the USHL for his draft year. This year he landed in Columbus where I’ve been able to watch him from prospect camp to now. In the WHL, Sillinger was a player who played with a more “pass first, shoot second” approach. He eventually started that way in the USHL. After a little time passed, he became the exact opposite. Sillinger stopped even looking to involve teammates. That adaptability was very promising for me to see. It shows that he’s smart and can adjust to any situation presented to him. In April 2021 I wrote that Sillinger does well to deal with situations he’s handed but lacks preparation and an ability to think ahead. He was deep into his USHL season and understood he was the dominant player on his team. No one was really able to help him. He simply didn’t need to have awareness. He was the best player and could solve all the problems thrown at him.”
Sam
As Greg says, Sillinger showed nearly all of the things that I felt were missing from his game in the USHL. It wasn’t a matter of developing the rest of Sillinger’s game to compliment his newly found shooting dominance; instead, it was a matter of hoping Sillinger was able to fuse the best of his DY-1 playstyle and the best of his DY playstyle together. Sillinger finished eleventh on my board due to the hope that he could blend everything together and become the machine that he could be. I can’t speak for Will or Greg but knowing that outcome is becoming more and more likely just four months after the draft, he probably should have been taken in the 3-7 range.
Will
The data is largely quite positive for Sillinger from a bird’s-eye view. Columbus carried a net positive dangerous shot percentage, albeit with lower shot volumes at both ends than average. While Sillinger’s offensive transition involvement was below average at 21%, he maintained control on an impressive 65% of them, including a 50/50 split entering the offensive zone with control. A similar story is clear defensively, with relatively low involvement, but strong efficiency shutting down ⅔ of the defensive transitions he was involved in. As a centre, this defensive involvement is a bit forgivable as his job revolves more around covering open ice in the neutral zone and piloting puck carriers into more unfavorable positions, rather than chasing the puck around trying to cause havoc and turnovers. Sillinger got the puck out of the defensive zone himself exclusively through passing and got the puck into the offensive zone with control exclusively through carrying, which is also notable.
Once the puck got into the offensive zone, Sillinger managed to attempt to create offense for Columbus, with three total dangerous shot attempts and two dangerous pass attempts, both completed. Considering Columbus took just 15 shot attempts in both games, Sillinger managed to be involved in creating or taking almost half of his team’s shot attempts when weighing for chance quality. With an offensive threat metric (the player’s dangerous shot attempts plus dangerous pass attempts) of 13, Sillinger surpasses both Vasili Podkolzin and Lucas Raymond in my NHL tracking this year. While it’s a small sample, once the video enters the equation, it becomes clear as to how a player like Sillinger has fit in so nicely in the NHL to this point.
Sillinger entered the 2021 draft as one of the more well-rounded and projectable NHL players when looking at his talent profile. His statistical output was bizarre to me with such low teammate utilization, and such a heavy lean indicating a player trying to do everything himself. I still saw a player who showed a willingness to get involved physically, turn play around in his own end, and participate in offensive rushes with a varied skill set. His ability to generate raw speed in a projectable, NHL-needle-pushing way was a bit limited, but the strength and skill that he showed gave confidence that he could make it work. This was the absolute first thing that jumped out to me. When faced with defensive pressure, Sillinger showed remarkably quick thinking on puck touches to not overthink the play and get offensive rushes going, and multiple instances of strong positional awareness defensively keeping opponents in his zone of influence, tying up sticks, and breaking up a few potentially dangerous playmaking attempts. As a centre, another area of responsibility is picking up on opponent rushes and covering for absent defenders, and while Sillinger is still not the fastest or most agile player in the NHL, his relatively conservative positioning and strong awareness was on display in this area as well.
Sam
At draft time, there were questions about whether or not Sillinger would be able to create dangerous offence without skating improvements due to form criticisms. They weren’t necessarily unwarranted either, as players who consistently score goals in junior by creating their shot tend to struggle to find that space in the NHL without a true separation gear or a ton of close quarters lateral ability. Sillinger makes up for this by routing himself around the ice extremely well in order to receive pucks in space, as well as using every deceptive tool in his arsenal to make the most of what space he has. Regardless of his lack of explosivity, being able to shoot and pass from near impossible angles both in-motion and mid-skill move forces opponents to choose their defensive approach carefully or risk being burned.
Coach Greg’s Take:
“For me, Sillinger does things that scream he is a natural centerman – middle support positioning, uses his backhand well, and uses his hands well in tight areas. A few elements of his game that do need to be refined are basic but are habits that need to be formed by daily repetition. In CBJ development camp SIllinger was one of the players that was noticeably better. There were older players with more refined skills, but SIllinger was a smart cookie and knew how to get the most out of his talents. CBJ ended up winning the prospect’s tournament in Traverse City. Sillinger finally had someone to work with and together with Chinakov, they dominated the competition. Again, Sillinger adapted to the situation and flourished.”
Will
A major tactical difference I’ve noticed tracking NHL prospects as they get going is that the tendency for NHL systems to rely on offensive zone dump-ins and puck retrievals is significantly stronger than leagues at lower levels. Players down the middle like Sillinger will often be challenged to turn those dump-ins into defensive zone exits, and an area where a lot of young players can falter is getting overpowered by older, stronger athletes. Sillinger showed on multiple occasions that his defensive instincts extend to retrievals along the boards when needed, similar to Vasili Podkolzin, his ability to check his surroundings, find an advantageous lane to get to the puck, and position himself in such a way where he can get a quick, simple pass to a teammate in a support position. In the final clip in the montage below, Sillinger gets the rush going through his body positioning and confidence, trails the ensuing rush, and displays a flash of that skill he showed often on scoring chances last year, pulling the puck closer to his body and changing the angle at the last second on the goaltender.
It’s hard to ignore Cole Sillinger’s defensive play and natural profile of strength, resilience and skill, and his season-long defensive results seem to support the same. When Sillinger gets to play in a little bit of open ice, there are also some bright spots that appear, largely based around his skill and creativity with the puck. I love watching players who can think and adapt under pressure, even if the end goal is a simple pass to deflate that pressure. Turning pucks over is bad, and identifying players who can use skill, strength, and intelligence to figure problems out and maintain possession are players every team should be filling their lineup with. Sillinger in multiple clips gets faced with pressure, only to use his hands and a wide base at his feet to adapt to play, protect the puck, and get it into a more favorable position.
Sam
In the USHL, Sillinger was frustratingly inconsistent in the DZ. There were quite a few shifts where Cole had assignments getting by him into open ice, lazy routes that only provided teammates options when it was too late, and a general disassociation from the events unfolding in front of him. Then there were the other shifts where he was an active (and sometimes relentless) puck tracker, timing his routes to shut down passing lanes with near surgical precision and a hustle that never kept him too far from the play. It was sometimes tough to tell which version of Sillinger we would get in the DZ on a shift-to-shift basis, but the good there was enough to believe there was a framework of an excellent defensive player there.
Will
On the other side of the coin, there are situations where keeping it simple can be extremely beneficial without having to think and adapt under pressure. Sillinger once again displays a strong ability to recognize opportunity in open ice to drive dangerous play, receiving an offensive entry pass from Zach Werenski pre-loaded in a good position to make a read and decide whether to take a relatively low percentage shot, but also a clear view of a passing lane to an open Gustav Nyquist in the middle of the ice. The raw scoring instincts were put on display as well with an excellent push into open space, calling for the puck, being set for a shot with his front foot faced at the net, loading his hips, and getting himself a strong medium danger chance. Sillinger is a player with a history of remarkable point production, and while he may not be lighting the lamp in the NHL as often as he’s used to, the right processing traits and habits are on display already. There’s a quick shot with good pre-shot movement, there’s strong playmaking vision when an opportunity presents itself, and he’s got strength and resilience to manage pressure at this level already.
Coach Greg’s Take:
“He surprisingly made the NHL roster, but to those taking note, it wasn’t a surprise at all. He played a reliable game that every coach can trust (trust = ice time) and was positionally sound to take advantage of offensive opportunities. In the NHL Sillinger plays the same way as we saw in juniors. A solid middle support, facilitating play based on the circumstance, and finding ways to be an asset to his teammates. All of his goals have been tips and 1-touch plays in the low slot arising from his play in the middle ice.”
Will
As with almost every young player getting going in the NHL, things aren’t perfect. While Sillinger shows a number of mental and physical attributes in spades, there is room for improvement. Sillinger has been lining up at centre this year when I’ve seen him and scanning for opponents in space at high pace is a bit of a work in progress. It wasn’t often, but I did catch him losing a man and overlapping with other defenders for valuable moments, which can be more than enough in the NHL. The big issue, as it was last year with Sillinger, is the raw speed and quickness he can generate. It can be the factor that separates a great, creative and skilled junior player from being the same in the NHL. Sillinger is smart, strong, and well-rounded already, but I found a few instances of him easing off and coasting into defensive pressure, which can fail to close out quick and agile NHL wingers or allow those players to find valuable fractions of a second to gain a step on players like Sillinger. On the bright side, these are all issues that can affect any prospect getting going in the NHL, and with time, Sillinger should gain the experience and physical development necessary to be more consistent defensively as well as offensively.
Sam
As I mentioned above, Sillinger has already demonstrated that he was able to take the best parts of his game and implement them in the NHL without the skating improvements that some believe he required. But, as Will mentions above, there will be times in the NHL where just mispositioning yourself slightly means you’re already behind a speedy player and you need that explosiveness to catch up and correct your mistake. Skating is one of the easier things to develop, and Sillinger already has good traits in his skating that he is leveraging to find NHL success with, so it isn’t unreasonable to assume that Sillinger will one day be quick enough to cover up for those lapses.
Coach Greg’s Take:
“The missing elements for Sillinger are clear - refined skills, more shoulder checking, and increased strength. All things that come with time and dedication. Having an ex-NHL father helps but leave no doubt in your mind. Cole Sillinger earned his opportunity and is earning his keep as an 18-year-old in the NHL. It won’t be long before Sillinger continues to adapt and finding himself as one of the premier NHL centermen.”
Will
As I said off the top, I was quite pleasantly surprised to see Cole Sillinger get a shot in the NHL, and I’m even more surprised to see him keep his job for the season. He shows a number of traits that clearly indicates that he’s at the very least capable of moving the needle in the NHL. He has the instincts and strength to tread water down the lineup, with flashes of offensive potential that could bring further positives to his game at the NHL level. He isn’t particularly flashy… yet… but with improvements to his quickness and skill, that may come out more often. With more experience and consistency without the puck, he may have even more opportunities to play with that flash as well as the raw strength that we’ve already seen.