Regina's Cole Sillinger scores first point in NHL debut
Regina's Cole Sillinger became just the sixth 18-year-old to crack the Columbus Blue Jackets’ starting line-up on Thursday night and he made every second count.
“Everything I expected but even more. The guys were very great, very supportive of me.” Sillinger told the media after the game, adding he was doing his best to take it all in, because veteran players warned him it would go by quickly, and it did.
The Blue Jackets first round draft pick hit the scoresheet midway through the third period on a goal by line-mate Max Domi. Sillinger knocked the puck out of mid-air just inside his own blue line and sped up the right wing running into a defender.
The rookie created some room in the middle of the ice by taking the defender with him, allowing Domi to walk in and fire the puck past Coyotes goaltender Carter Hutton.
“I was just lucky enough to hit it out of the air and it was kind of a foot race and the whole way down. I heard Domi say “silly behind you” so I just tried to take body position and tap the puck behind my legs. It was a great shot,” Sillinger said .
Sillinger started the game on a line with Max Domi and Boone Jenner. The trio have developed good chemistry according to Sillinger through the pre-season.
“I feel like we’re clicking and I feel like that starts in practice” he said.
Sillinger played 13:37 seconds Thursday night at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. He won four of his five faceoff attempts including the opening draw of the night. He also received a minor penalty.
“It took me a couple shifts for sure to realize I was playing my first game.” Sillinger told reporters. “As the game got on, I got more comfortable.”
Cole’s father Mike Sillinger played for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2003, one of 12 stops during his 17 year NHL career. Cole Sillinger was born in Columbus during Mike’s stay. Mike and his wife Karla were at Thursday’s game to see Cole’s debut.
Cole Sillinger played 52 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League scoring 22 goals and 33 assists. Last season, he elected to play in the USHL for the Sioux Falls Stampede where he continued to show his offensive punch, scoring 24 times in 31 games.
Sillinger and the Blue Jackets are back in action on Saturday night when they host the Seattle Kraken.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.