Physically, playing 82 games against the best players in the world all over North America is no easy task, especially for someone whose previous high in competitive hockey was the 48 games he played with Medicine Hat of the WHL in 2019-20.
Mentally, it's certainly a different world, too, as the travel, amount of games, high level of play and everything else that comes with it is a challenge beyond anything like what Sillinger has faced in the past. And now that he's more than one-third of the way through his rookie season, Sillinger feels like he's adapting as well as one could expect.
"It's been challenging at times where it's a lot of travel, a lot of hotels, more games in a condensed time, but I'm having lots of fun," Sillinger said. "I'm enjoying it. Physically I feel like I'm holding my ground, and you just have to be consistent every night. That's something I'm going to try to do is make sure I can bring my compete and my work ethic and make sure that it's at the best level it has to be that night.
"Mentally, it's a grind, too, right? Being away from family, not really having a set destination. But yeah, it's been good. It's been nice to be with the guys, build chemistry with them and just grow close to them."
So far, the results have been about what one would expect, or perhaps even a smidge better, for someone of Sillinger's age at the NHL level. In his first 28 games, he has five goals and six assists for 11 points in an average of 13:51 of ice time per night. He notched his sixth helper of the year last Thursday in the team's game at Edmonton, winning a faceoff to start the play and then providing a net-front screen that allowed for a rebound goal scored by Gustav Nyquist.
In addition, Sillinger has won 48.0 percent of his faceoffs, and the Blue Jackets have an expected goals percentage (a measure of shot quantity and quality) of 50.05 percent at 5-on-5 when he's on the ice.
"He's doing fine," head coach Brad Larsen said. "He looks like an 18-year-old sometimes and what a normal 18-year-old will go through. We're in a real tough grind here. I'll say it again, he's a competitive kid, he wants to do well. He hangs his hat on work ethic and competitiveness, and he's a really good self-assessor. I know he wants more out of his game.
"I think it's never a lack of effort with him, but it's a tough league, it's a tough travel schedule. This is the first time that he's going through it. I think he's handled it well, and we're just gonna take it day-by-day with him."
Individually,
per Natural Stat Trick
, he has 58 individual scoring chances -- that is, shots from what the website considers a dangerous area -- and 24 high-danger chances, which place tied for first and second on the team, respectively.
In other words, there are a lot of encouraging things in Sillinger's game at the moment. While he was lauded for a possessing a high-level shot at the junior level that allowed him to notch 24 goals in 31 games a year ago with Sioux Falls of the USHL, the last thing to often come for young players at the highest levels is goal-scoring.
And now that he has time under his belt and has started to get used to the speed and strength of the players he's suiting up against, Sillinger says he's feeling better and better on the ice.
"I'm starting to feel more comfortable out there with the puck, when the puck is on my stick, just making the right plays and stuff," Sillinger said. "I'm not so tense, so to speak. I'm feeling more relaxed. Maybe I'm just building more chemistry with my linemates and stuff like that. As I play more games, I am hoping I'll get better and better, more comfortable in that sense. I'm happy with how it's gone."
It's easy to see how as time goes by and he keeps gaining experience, Sillinger's game will continue to build. But for right now, he's picking up lessons by the day and learning what it takes to have success at the highest level.
"I think you have to live it," he said. "You just have to learn day by day, and if something didn't work out, just do it differently the next time and make sure you're really taking care of your body."
