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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.