Sillinger, 19, has registered 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points with 59 penalty minutes in 143 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets over the past two seasons. In 2022-23, he has collected 3-8-11 and 22 penalty minutes in 64 outings.
"This is a great opportunity for Cole to join the Monsters as they continue to push for a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs," said Kekalainen. "Taking on additional responsibilities and playing games with playoff implications, and hopefully games in the playoffs, is hugely important to the development of a young player like Cole. Zach Werenski was in a similar position a few years ago and the experience helped him individually and from a team perspective as it resulted in a Calder Cup championship."
The club's second first-round pick, 12th overall, at the 2021 NHL Draft, Sillinger made his NHL debut in 2021-22 and tallied 16-15-31 and 37 penalty minutes in 79 games. His 16 goals were the third-most by a Blue Jacket rookie in club history, while his 31 points ranked seventh. He also became the second-youngest player in club history to record a hat trick when he scored three goals on March 13 vs. Vegas at the age of 18 years and 301 days. Nikita Filatov (18 years, 230 days - Jan. 10, 2009 vs. Minnesota) is the youngest.
The Columbus, Ohio native spent the 2020-21 season with Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League, notching 24-22-46 and 39 penalty minutes in 31 games. He registered 22-33-55 and 22 penalty minutes in 52 career Western Hockey League games with Medicine Hat, including 22-31-53 and 22 penalty minutes in 48 outings during the 2019-20 campaign.
The Blue Jackets return to action on Friday when they host the New York Islanders. Game time from Nationwide Arena is 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage on Bally Sports Ohio begins with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including 97.1 The Fan, and online at BlueJackets.com.
