| Cole Sillinger | Regina Pat Canadians Midget | Midget | R | F | 6’0″ | 187 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2018 | Regina, SK | 2003 | 2020-2021: A |
USHL: Sioux Falls Stampede vs Lincoln Stars, February 15, 2021: Sillinger is a physical forward for the Stampede who skates well and plays with pace. His game is straight ahead and he knows what he’s doing with the puck when it is on his stick. He uses his speed to beat defenders wide and attempt to lower his shoulder and drive towards the net or find other ways to put the puck in the goalie’s feet. In the offensive zone, he competes hard for pucks and does a good job of using cutbacks and puck protection to create space to make plays. Without the puck, Sillinger is physical and drives his legs to get it back. The Stampede forward is relentless on the forecheck and likes to look for transition opportunities off loose pucks. He also had two big open ice hits in the game, reading the play in front of him and making his opponents pay for having their heads down. Overall, he is a fast, competitive, and physical forward who is able to create offence on the rush, off the forecheck, and by working the puck low in the offensive zone. Grade: B+
USHL: Sioux Falls at Sioux City, January 17, 2021: Sillinger is another forward who was competing in his first game for the Stampede after leaving the WHL. He wasn’t able to generate the same type of offensive production as Toporowski, but Sillinger’s impact was absolutely felt for Sioux Falls. The forward has a powerful stride and is a wrecking ball if you get in his way when he has a head of steam. On multiple occasions he was able to skate through defenders who tried to step in his way when he had the puck. On one such play in the third period Sillinger was skating the puck up the ice when his teammates went for a change. He crossed the offensive blueline 1 on 2 and split the defenders, skating through checks from both, staying strong on his stick, and he went in on net all alone, but was robbed by a nice glove save. Throughout the night he won battles and showed his strength on his stick and skates. The powerful forward was also extremely effective in the offensive zone, winning races, creating loose pucks, and ripping at least two hard shots from prime scoring areas in the slot. Overall, Sillinger wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet but his impact was felt nearly every time he stepped on the ice. Grade: A
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments on Cole’s shot, October 2020: Cole has a rocket. He gets it away quickly and does not need much space to let it fly. The release is deceptive and no matter where he is on the ice opposing goalies have a difficult time reading where it’s going. He can curl and drag it to get the goalie leaning or Cole can beat them by just leaning on his stick and letting it explode. As young kid he had an excellent one-timer and that is going to continue into his professional career. Cole has the hockey sense and ability to play all three forward positions at a high level, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play in the National League on the off wing where he can be utilized with a play making center and he can be a true goal scoring winger.
Macs Midget Tournament, March 2019 (Scout #1): A long stride and he plays with very good pace. He is lacking in explosion, but his feet are still very quick on his initial strides. Solid puck skills, and is a handful for any defender to try and take on one on one. He back checks hard, and plays a nice 200-foot game. On offense he can get a bit of tunnel vision and try to do things himself, which can make him predictable despite his fantastic skillset. Rocket release, dynamic stick skill and ability to create chances out of nothing. Grade: A-
Macs Midget Tournament, March 2019 (Scout #2): Sillinger is a skilled, creative forward who has great poise and confidence with the puck on his stick. He made some high end passes off the rush to spring a teammate for a break and was constantly creating for his teammates in the offensive zone. He is a balanced skater who uses his speed to attack defenders and look to find inside ice. He reads time and space and skates the puck into space, where he draws in defenders and opens up ice for a teammate to dish off to. He can escape pressure off the wall or from down low using his quick edges to open space and has very quick hands to beat or get around defenders. He works hard in puck battles and is hard to play on the wall with his high compete level. His best weapon is his shot that he can beat goalies with from distance or from in tight. Sillinger could play a more direct game and not try and do it all himself as he has a tendency to do. Grade: A
World Selects Invite, June 2018: Cole is a strong player with an elite shot and high-end skills. Looked like a goal scorer. Played with some bite as he fought for pucks and worked to dirty areas. He also has some nice stickhandling ability and can dangle in space to create or weave his way through sticks in traffic. Strong enough to play through contact but could also break defenders down in space. Has the tools coaches love as he should score at every level and also is tough to play against.
CSSHL Showcase, February 2018: Cole was the best forward in the Showcase. He had a monster first game when he scored 4 goals to help OHA beat RHA. His shot is heavy and accurate and explodes off his stick in a hurry. He has quick hands and a quick first step. His acceleration and agility were noticeable on every shift and he was very smooth entering the offensive zone. The 2003 is a very hard worker with good hockey sense and anticipation. His hands are smooth and he does well to change the angle of his shots to get them through defenders. He sees the ice well and his passes are hard and on the tape. The 14-year-old is a raw talent that can do it all and is a sure bet to be a high draft pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. Grade: A
Rocky Mountain Classic Bantam, November 2017: One of if not the most skilled and complete forwards in the tournament. Has great command of his skating and uses change of pace extremely well to beat defenders with speed when needed or to slow down and buy time when needed. Excellent agility and can turn on a dime, making himself very evasive and hard for defenders to handle because of his quick direction change. He has as high a skill set as anyone in his age group. He is an excellent stick handler, puck carrier, passer and shooter. His shot is quick and it is accurate and he knows how to shift on defenders to open himself up a shot lane. When he passes he can zip hard passes to teammates or feather and saucer passes as well. More impressive is his compete level. He works very hard on the backcheck and down low and shows a willingness to play physical if needed. Grade: A
Western Prospects Bantams Showcase, July 2017: Cole was hands down the most impressive prospect in any position at this tournament. He literally jumps out at you each and every shift. A great skater with big time agility, amazing hands and a very offensively creative mind. He can go end to end and create, and he is quick to jump loose pucks on transition turning them into quick offensive thrusts. He appears to be a shoot first forward hungry to score, and just when we were about to get critical about this, he used a shot fake to freeze a goaltender and defenseman and made a beautiful pass and set his linemate up for an easy tap in goal. He impressed us with his compete level. He backchecks like crazy, competes for all pucks, and has a nasty physical edge to his game. Cole was named Top Forward Prospect at this camp and a 1st team All-Star. Father Mike was an NHL player.
Photo Credit: RYAN MCCRACKEN/Medicine Hat News