Summer Spotlight: Sillinger looks to learn from difficult second season

Number: 4

Birth date: May 16, 2003 (age 20)

Birthplace:Columbus, Ohio

Height, Weight:6-1, 201

2022-23 Stats: 64 GP, 3-8-11

Contract: Signed through 2023-24 season (One year remaining until RFA status)

It would be easy for Cole Sillinger to say it just wasn't his year.

He was injured during the first practice of training camp. In the CBJ season opener, he scored a spectacular goal, only to have it taken off the board because of offsides. And even when he had scoring chances throughout the season, they just didn't go in.

The result was he went from a 16-goal, 31-point debut campaign at age 18 to last year's struggles. He's far from the first 19-year-old to have a rough go of things at the NHL level, and Sillinger agrees last season was a learning experience.

But he's also aware he has to put in the work to learn from the experience.

"I don't necessarily think it's moving on from it," he said recently. "I think there's a learning aspect of it. You can't just be like, 'It happened, and it's going to change right back.' You have to do the work to make the change, but that's when you make the best strides is when you're at that point."

It's very similar to the mind-set Sillinger had when talking in the locker room in Washington in March, before he was sent to AHL Cleveland to complete the season and try to restore some confidence.

"When you're 18, 19 playing in the NHL, the leagues before you've probably dominated and produced and scored goals and been the key guy in all situations," Sillinger said. "Then you come here at a young age and things are a little different, but yeah, it's something that personally I've never really went through. But it's something that every player goes through, and it's good to go through. It's a good learning experience. It's good adversity.

"I think this is how you really gain as a player and really come out of it and become stronger, more open-minded, more coachable, everything. You get a little humbled. I think that really does help."

If all goes well, the talent and responsible play the CBJ legacy showed his first season, in which he posted one of the best rookie seasons in Blue Jackets history, will shine through again going forward.

Top Moment of 2022-23

Sillinger did create more and more scoring chances as the season went on but didn't get much luck actually converting them until he finally got on the board on St. Patrick's Day in Anaheim. Sillinger went 45 straight games without scoring a goal before tying a game against the Ducks at 3 late in the middle frame. He was playing a net-front role on the power play when Jack Roslovic put a perfect pass on his tape, and Sillinger quickly deflected the puck past goalie Lukas Dostal. SIllinger's celebration showed the weight of the world seemed to be lifted off his shoulders when the puck went in the net.

Sillinger's Top Highlight

Stat to Know

Let's put a little context into Sillinger's career to this point. He was the only player from the 2021 draft to play in the NHL for the entire following season, and his 16-goal campaign at the time tied for the third-most productive rookie campaign in franchise history. In other words, he's a pretty unique and special player, and even with last year's struggles, he remains first among players in his draft year in games played (143), tied for third in goals (19), and fifth in points (42). In fact, just 18 players from that draft have made their NHL debuts to this point.

2023-24 Expectations

Sillinger will be just 20 for the length of the upcoming season, and most prospects his age are yet to make their NHL debuts (see above), let alone having played two full NHL seasons. So while last year turned out to be pretty forgettable, there's still a lot to like about his progress, and it wouldn't be a huge shock to see a bounceback season out of the son of former CBJ center Mike Sillinger. With a strong camp, he'll be right back in the lineup, and even if he has to spend some time getting more seasoning at the AHL level, it could be a good thing for his development. The good news is there's little pressure on Sillinger right now, as he still likely has a long NHL career ahead thanks to his mind-set, his talent and his competitive nature.