Medicine Hat Tigers forward Cole Sillinger celebrates after scoring his first career goal against the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 3 of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference quarter-final series on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at what is now Co-op Place. -- NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Cole Sillinger has been drafted to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 18-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers centre heard his name called as the 12th overall selection of Friday’s NHL Entry Draft from a watch party at a Regina restaurant, making him the first Tabby to be taken in the first round since Hunter Shinkaruk.
Although he was chosen with the 12th pick, Sillinger was the 11th player taken in the draft, as Arizona’s 11th overall selection was forfeited. Sillinger’s father, Mike Sillinger – a 17-season NHL veteran – was the 11th player selected in the 1989 draft.
Sillinger is coming off a strong season with the United States Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampeders. Opting to take his game south of the border in order to maximize ice time in a COVID-fraught draft year, the 6-foot, 197-pound Regina product racked up 24 goals and 22 assists in 34 games.
As a rookie in 2019-20, Sillinger managed 22 goals and 31 assists over 48 games.
Sillinger is the second Tiger to earn first-round status in the past 10 years alongside Shinkaruk (24th overall, Vancouver Canucks, 2013). He’s also the seventh in the past two decades, joining Jay Bouwmeester (third overall, Florida Panthers, 2002), Joffrey Lupul (seventh, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 2002), Cam Barker (3rd, Chicago Blackhawks, 2004), Tyler Ennis (26th, Buffalo Sabres, 2008) and Emerson Etem (29th, Anaheim Ducks, 2010) on the short list.
Sillinger was the first USHL player to be drafted Friday, and the second WHLer behind Edmonton Oil Kings forward Dylan Guenther, who went ninth overall to the Arizona Coyotes.
