Tigers’ Sillinger, Bandits’ Ceulemans ready for bright lights of NHL

He was able to impress scouts enough to solidify his spot as a sure-fire first round prospect.

“I got to play 31 games and it’s probably the most that any guy got to play this year,” said Sillinger. “So, I’m super fortunate and I believe I developed as a person and as a player. I was just very lucky to have that situation to go down there and play.”

Sillinger is coming off a USHL Rookie of the Year performance with the Stampede where he tallied 24 goals and 46 points in 31 games to post the fourth-best points per game average in the league.

He comes into this weekend’s draft ranked 10^th among North American skaters and has been generating buzz for his scoring acumen, something Tigers fans know quite well.

If he indeed gets selected on Friday, he would be the first Tigers player to be taken in the first round of an NHL Draft since 2013 when the Vancouver Canucks took Hunter Shinkaruk 24^th overall.

“It’s just kind of a cool time,” said Sillinger. “When I talked to Vancouver the Sedins were on the call, just little stuff like that which sticks out as pretty special. So, it’s been a really good process so far.”

Mock drafts have the Tigers star slotted anywhere between 10^th and 15^th overall and he has a chance of being selected higher than his NHL journeyman father Mike.

“It’s just kind of a cool time,” said Sillinger. “When I talked to Vancouver the Sedins were on the call, just little stuff like that which sticks out as pretty special. So, it’s been a really good process so far.”

The elder Sillinger was nabbed with the 11^th pick in the 1989 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings before carving out a 17-year career and has been able to pass along valuable advice to his youngest son.

“What he’s done is done and just because he’s had a long career there’s no extra doors open for myself,” said Cole. “He’s kind of letting me find my own way and learn my way myself, and create a new path for my own self. But, I lean on him for advice definitely.”

Things haven’t gone completely to plan for Sillinger however, as he geared up to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Hockey Championships in Texas.

On arrival after receiving his first vaccine, the 18 year old tested positive for COVID-19 on his first of four tests. The following two came up as negative, before a fourth read positive again forcing his exit from the tournament before it even began.

“It was kind of something that was completely out of my control,” said Sillinger. “Again I felt great, don’t know if I had COVID to this day or not. But, who knows? I think the way I had to look at it was I was one of the only kids on that team that got to play a normal year.”

One of his teammates at the World U18 Championships would have been Brooks Bandits defenceman Corson Ceulemans, who is also expected to be taken in the first round of Friday’s NHL Draft.

A gold medal winner with Team Canada, the smooth-skating Ceulemans broke out for a goal and eight points in six games to help Canada capture their first U18 title since 2013.

“Those games at the U18’s were great for me,” said Ceulemans. “I think at the U18’s I really showcased all attributes of my game, just how versatile I can be and how adaptable I can be.”

Between the starts and stops to the AJHL season and his stint with Team Canada, the University of Wisconsin commit only dressed in eight games for the Bandits in 2020-21. Despite that small sample size, Ceulemans impressed with four goals and 11 points.

Of course, the comparisons to another offensively-minded blueliner from Brooks have been made with former Bandit Cale Makar coming off a nomination for the Norris Trophy with the Colorado Avalanche.

Although he admits their playing styles are quite different, he’s honoured to be put in the same class as the rising Avalanche star.

“We’re different players but on the same trajectory,” said Ceulemans. “It’s been really cool just to follow in his footsteps, he kind of set the tone for guys getting drafted out of the AJHL. Without him, I don’t know if I’d be in the same place I am now.”

Ceulemans isn’t too far behind Sillinger when it comes to the draft rankings, slotting in at 14^th when it comes to North American skaters.

While Ceulemans’ skating ability has been lauded, that could be the one drawback that causes teams to pass on Sillinger.

However, the Regina product argues that he made great strides both figuratively and literally in Sioux Falls when it comes to his agility and is only improving.

“I believe I’m a confident skater,” said Sillinger. “I can handle the puck at top speed and when I’m skating I’m really tough to get knocked off the puck. It’s just adding that first step quickness and explosiveness. That’s something that I’ve worked on and something that teams believe I can do as well.”

The draft process has been a wild one for both players, featuring almost daily conversations with scouts and general managers over Zoom which has come with some interesting questions to say the least.

“If there’s a person in the world that hates you the most, why do they hate you?” said Sillinger. “I kind of had to think about that for a little bit, it kind of threw me off. But, I had a pretty good answer to that one.”

Teams like the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets have all expressed interest in Sillinger and Ceulemans.

For the latter, there’s some markets that stick out but adds any of the above would be a good landing place.

“It would be obviously nice to live in a hot place,” said Ceulemans. “But, a cool hockey market like Chicago or Minnesota or anywhere in Canada would be awesome too. I’ve had a lot of good interviews and anywhere I go will be great.”

For the second year in a row, the NHL Draft will be held virtually with small parties of friends and family replacing the arenas packed full of front offices, prospects and fans.

Even though the normal draft experience won’t be possible for these junior prospects, getting to put on an NHL jersey and hat will still mean just as much.

“Yeah, it would be awesome to have a chance to go to a combine, all met as prospects and got to go to a real NHL Draft wherever that may be,” said Sillinger. “But, I’m just glad that we’re able to have a draft and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The first round of the NHL Draft will be held at 6:00 pm on Friday.

by Scott Roblin

Tigers’ Sillinger, Bandits’ Ceulemans ready for bright lights of NHL

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