Quick Hits: July 3, 2021
1) The son of longtime NHL forward (including a latter 1990s stint with the Flyers) Mike Sillinger, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) center Cole Sillinger would be one of the safest of all prospects expected to be selected around the Flyers' range in the 2021 first-round assuming the Flyers hold onto the 13th overall pick.
One of the best pure shooters in the 2021 Draft class, Sillinger is also relatively mature physically (6-foot, 200 pounds), has two-way upside (averaged nearly 2:00 of PK ice time for Sioux Falls) and the ability to switch from center to wing as needed. Having transferred from the Western Hockey League -- which got an extremely belated start and had a very short schedule in 2020-21 due to the pandemic -- Sillinger was able to play 31 games in the USHL this past season. He led his team in scoring by a nine-point discrepancy over Garrett Pinoniemi despite playing in 19 fewer games.
Sillinger was a model of consistency this season, being blanked off the scoresheet only five times in his 31 games. He also impressed the previous year in the WHL with Medicine Hat, posting 53 points and showing two-way potential in 48 games. Sillinger turned 18 on May 16.
Father Mike was a pretty smooth NHL skater. Cole's skating needs some work, particularly on his edges and explosiveness, but the general consensus among scouts is that his skating won't be a major concern in the long-haul; it's less of an issue, for example, than it was a year ago for Flyers 2020 first-round pick Tyson Foerster.
Sillinger isn't shy about shooting the puck -- a trait the Flyers system needs -- and he possesses a well-developed level of hockey sense than can't be taught. He's not a fancy puckhandler or an especially physical player but he takes good routes on the forecheck or when cutting through a seam in the defense. One concern that gets voiced is his potential to regularly gain separation and create his own shooting lanes as he advances to the NHL level (a concern voiced about Joel Farabee ca. 2017-18). He plays a disciplined game and does not take many bad penalties.
The team that picks Sillinger will be one that applies similar reasoning to the Flyers' selection of Farabee in 2018: It is not necessarily a swing for the fences, but it's a high-floor player with likely middle-six upside, a relatively fast NHL ETA (potentially as soon as 2022-23) and the potential to score 20 to 25 goals at the NHL with some consistency within a few seasons of his arrival.
2) Today in Flyers History: On July 3, 1981, the Flyers and Hartford Whalers completed a multi-player trade. The first Flyers stint of Rick MacLeish's career (he later had a brief return) came to an end and the Flyers also dealt defenseman Blake Wesley, forward Don Gillen, a 1982 1st-round pick (Paul Lawless), a 1982 2nd-round selection (Mark Paterson) and a 1982 third-round pick (Kevin Dineen). In return, the Flyers received highly touted young defenseman Fred Arthur (who retired a year later to pursue medical school and eventually became a doctor), winger Ray Allison (Brian Propp's close friend and former Brandon Wheat Kings linemate), a 1982 first-round pick (Ron Sutter) and a 1982 third-round pick (used on veteran Czechoslovakian nation team star Miroslav "Cookie" Dvorak).
3) One of the coolest aspects of the Flyers' Alumni Weekend is that any Alum who wants to participate -- regardless of how long ago or how recently they played for the team and whether they played a single game or 500-plus in orange and black -- is welcomed with open arms. It's not the same with every Alumni Association.
Left to right from @FlyersAlumni weekend: Willie Brossart, Lou Nolan, Al Secord, Michel Belhumeur, Joe Kadlec. pic.twitter.com/kKV3udOnvO
— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) July 3, 2021