Blue Jackets’ Sillinger sees struggles as growing pains
Cole Sillinger has already had some NHL experiences he’ll never forget.
The NHL’S youngest player notched his first point in his first game, scored his first goal three games later, and the 18-year old center recorded his first multi-goal and multi-point effort in that same road game, helping the Blue Jackets overcome a deficit to win 5-4 in overtime Nov. 3 against the Colorado Avalanche.
That was also the game that he received a “welcome to the NHL” stick tap to the shin pads from Avalanche star Nathan Mackinnon, a family friend, after being “chirped” in a friendly way by New York Islanders veterans Josh Bailey and Matt Martin a couple of weeks earlier.
“They had a couple good laughs with me,” said Sillinger, whose dad, Mike Sillinger, was an Islander veteran when Bailey and Martin were rookies. “They compared me to Zdeno Chara because he’s the oldest (in the NHL), and I’m the youngest. They called me ‘Silly Jr.,’ and we had a couple comments here and there. That was pretty cool.”
Less cool is the NHL first Sillinger is experiencing now.
Prior to a game Saturday against the Washington Capitals to wrap up a tough road trip, Sillinger had just three assists in his previous 11 games and hadn’t scored since netting a late winner Nov. 6 against the Avalanche.
This stretch is his first true adversity in the NHL, where he’s facing off against a seemingly endless string of experienced centers.
“I’m only going to get more comfortable and more familiar with the speed and the strength of the guys, going against strong centermen, and not many 18-year olds get the opportunity to do this,” Sillinger said this week. “So, I’m for sure going to try and take advantage of that (and) and in years to come.”
A common refrain among those in charge of NHL development programs is to point out the risk of exposing young players to the NHL level at too young of an age. The concern is that repeated failure too soon in a player’s career may permanently damage their confidence and stunt their growth.
Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen doesn’t see it that way, which is why he has no problem keeping Sillinger in key roles.
“Why does adversity have to be such a damaging thing?” Larsen said. “I don’t understand that. And I get the understanding that he’s a young man. I get that … but don’t be scared of it. And he’s not scared of it. He’s not a kid who’s cowering. If anything, he’s trying to find the answer: ‘OK, what do I need to do?’ So, these moments are not bad things for young players. Of course, we’re watching and monitoring, but it’s good to struggle. It’s good. It’s not always going to be perfect.”
The best players are usually those who learn how to overcome rough stretches. That’s what makes Sillinger’s presence in Columbus a lot bigger deal than just knocking out some memorable firsts.
“When you get into playoffs, guess what?” Larsen said. “From game to game, from period to period, it’s intense and there’s certain struggles that are going on with adversity, so you’ve got to go through stuff … whether you’re 18 or 28. So, our whole team’s going to go through it. It’s not just one guy.”
Sillinger’s play of late indicates fatigue might be taking root, mental and physical. Each game against more experienced teams and centers, however, is a chance to learn, adapt and grow.
According to Natural Stat Trick, an advanced stat site, Sillinger leads the Blue Jackets in 5-on-5 individual scoring chances (51), individual high-danger chances (21) and individual expected goals (4.07). He’s third in shots (40), second in rebounds created (five), second in attempts off the rush (three) and tied for second with Alexandre Texier in 5-on-5 goals (four).
In other words, Sillinger is still proving that he belongs.
“There’s no excuses to myself,” Sillinger said. “I’m here for a reason, and I’m in the same boat as everyone else right now. I don’t get any extra (leeway) just because I’m a young guy, and I hope the coaches see it that way, as well.” bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger