“Each year you play, you gain more experience and you just learn a little more about the league,” Sillinger said. “Now I feel like I want to just take advantage of some of the opportunities from that.”
As a center in the NHL, it takes experience and repetition to make the correct reads on each play and in each situation. Now in his fourth year at this level, the 21-year-old is developing that muscle memory.
“If I'm thinking, I'm not having a good game,” Sillinger said. “A thinking hockey player is one that is a step behind.”
His father, Mike Sillinger, played two seasons in Columbus, recording 86 points in 155 games with the club. He has been impressed with his son’s play this season and credits it to the maturity he has shown through his years in the league.
“He's in his fourth year and he's only 21,” Mike said. “So my big thing is that I think the reason why he's having a good year is because of maturity."
His consistency has stood out to his elder Sillinger this season. Cole has had the tools to be a scorer in the NHL since his debut, including 16 goals in his first season to place fifth all-time in rookie scoring for the Blue Jackets. However, he is starting to show that skill day in and day out this season.
“I think a good year is based on how you consistently be successful every night playing the game,” Mike said. “That's what he's starting to do right now. He's always been competitive, but I think day in and day out, what Cole is doing is that he's competing and playing the same every day.”
Another aspect of Sillinger’s game that has developed this season is, as Evason referred to it, his “bite.” Sillinger is fifth on the Blue Jackets with 53 hits and hasn’t been afraid to mix it up with opposing teams, including against Tampa Bay when he confronted Conor Geekie after a hit that left Dante Fabbro injured – an action that earned him plaudits from Evason.
“I want everybody to play with a bite, play with some grit and some determination, and some in-your-face hockey,” Evason said. “He does that. He plays a straightforward game. He's physical, gets in the battles and the confrontations. Yeah, we really like it.”
Not only do Evason and his staff look for that commitment from the players, and specifically Sillinger, but the center looks for that in his own game. He knows that playing that style of hockey helps him get into the game and play better all around the ice.
“I do feel like when I'm at my best, that's playing with an edge, that's intense, that's playing with emotion,” Sillinger said. “Yeah, I do feel like when I'm at my best, playing my best hockey, it involves bringing a chip on my shoulder.”
His dad believes that has always been a big part of Sillinger’s game and has been proud of how his son has used it to his fullest advantage.
“He's a big guy. He's 6-1 or 6-2, so I think his big thing is that he's always been competitive,” Mike said. “So as far as being engaged, I think he's always engaged. I think that's what he does. He's a big competitor. He doesn't take any nights off.”
