The Cranbrook Bucks announced they have committed 2003-born forward and future Quinnipiac University Bobcat Jack Silich for the upcoming BC Hockey League season.
Silich, who turned 19 in June, spent parts of the past three seasons between 2019-2022 in the United States Hockey League. Through 108 career USHL contests with the Youngstown Phantoms, Lincoln Stars, and Sioux Falls Stampede, Silich amassed 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points.
In addition to making his USHL debut with Youngstown in back 2019-20, Silich played for a pair of other teams that season. With the 16U AAA Boston Jr Bruins of the United States Premier Hockey League, he scored four goals and added two assists in 12 games played. Silich also appeared in 43 National Collegiate Development Conference contests with the Jr Bruins, racking up eights goals and seven assists.
As if playing 57 games across three leagues wasn’t enough for the then-16-year-old, Silich was also selected to represent USA Hockey at the 2019 Five Nations tournament in Füssen, Germany. He managed a pair of goals through four games playing for his country overseas.
The product of Long Grove, Illinois spent the early years of his development in the Chicago Mission AAA program. The 2018-19 season was Silich’s final year with the Mission, in which he tallied 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 20 contests at 15U AAA level.
It was that season that paved his way to the USHL, as Youngstown selected Silich in the third round, 41st overall at the 2019 USHL Futures Draft. He was also drafted to the Ontario Hockey League that summer, as the Flint Firebirds selected Silich in the sixth round, 105th overall during the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
Silich will be heading off to Quinnipiac University to play NCAA Division I hockey for the 2023-24 season — a commitment that dates back to 2017 when he was playing with the Mission’s 14U AAA squad. He totalled eight goals and 14 points through 20 contests that campaign, en route to locking down his college hockey plans.
In the prime of his junior hockey career with one season left before he heads of to school, Silich expressed his excitement to be joining the Bucks in the team’s official news release announcing his signing.
“Cranbrook felt like the perfect fit
for me. (It’s a) young organization and it seems like it fits right into what I’m looking for. I feel like the BCHL is right up my alley, it’s a fast league, (and) very skilled.”
Additionally, the release said that Silich described himself as “a physical forward who loves to score goals.” Also sharing his thoughts on adding the veteran forward to his group for the upcoming season was Cranbrook’s head coach and general manager Ryan Donald.
“(Silich) is a player that we are excited to add to our forward group for this coming season. (He) has always been a player that competes very hard and contributes to a winning culture, and we expect him to do the same here in Cranbrook. We are excited to work with (Silich) at developing his game and believe he will bring experience and leadership to our group this season.”
Silich’s addition brings the Bucks to a tentative 11 rostered forwards heading into training camp in September. When bundled with the 10 defenders and two goaltenders that are either returning or committed for 2022-23, Cranbrook appears to have 23 players on its roster — with some fine-tuning still to come before camp opens.
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