Blue Jackets sign Owen Sillinger to one-year contract

A perennial minor leaguer is staying in Northeast Ohio.

On the opening day of NHL free agency, the Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed forward Owen Sillinger to a one-year, two-way contract. According to PuckPedia, the deal carries an NHL cap hit of $850,000, with a minor-league salary of $225,000, for the 2026-27 campaign.

Sillinger has been with the organization since he finished his NCAA career at Bemidji State in 2022. He signed on with the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate, on a minor-league contract. After a couple of exceptional seasons where he was among the top scorers on the roster, Sillinger finally earned an NHL contract, as Columbus signed him to a one-year deal in July 2024. The brother of fellow Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger has played on one-year deals for three consecutive years, earning no more than the league minimum by NHL standards.

It wasn’t until Jan. 9, 2025, that Sillinger would finally make his NHL debut. It still stands as his lone appearance with the Blue Jackets.

Regardless of his lack of time in the NHL, the Regina, Sask. native has remained as one of the experienced scorers in the Monsters’ lineup. He has hit the 30-point mark in three of his four seasons, scoring a career-best 40 points in 2023-24, the year Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference Final. This past year, Sillinger scored 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points in 69 games, helping the team finish third in the North Division. He added four points in nine postseason games, as Cleveland made it to the division finals, ultimately losing to the eventual Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies.

In 271 regular-season games in the AHL, Sillinger has registered 50 goals and 98 assists for 148 points, with another 10 points in 23 postseason affairs.