Former Bemidji State hockey players Owen Sillinger and Will Zmolek sign AHL contracts.
Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer
BEMIDJI – After making his NHL debut with Columbus on Jan. 9, former Bemidji State men’s hockey player Owen Sillinger has signed another contract to stay in the Blue Jackets’ system.
Sillinger signed a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2025-26 season on July 1.
The 5-foot-10, 182-pound center has notched 36 goals and 78 assists for 114 points, with 148 penalty minutes and 349 shots on goal in 202 career AHL games over four seasons with the Cleveland Monsters.
Sillinger set AHL career highs in goals (11), assists (29) and points (40) with 11-29-40 and 69 contests to rank third on the team in assists and points in 2023-24. Sillinger graduated from Bemidji State in 2022 after four seasons with the Beavers.
Another former Beaver, Will Zmolek, also signed an AHL deal with the Iowa Wild on July 2.
He inked a one-year, one-way deal with the Wild after his first season in the system.
Zmolek, a 6-foot-3, 194-pound defenseman, played in 19 AHL games in 2024-25, scoring one goal and two assists. He also played in 44 ECHL games with the Iowa Heartlanders, scoring one goal and 10 assists.
As of July 8, seven more former Beavers agreed to pro contracts in various leagues:
- Donte Lawson – Dunaújvárosi Acélbikák (Erste Liga, Hungary)
- Jere Vaisanen – Kiekko-Espoo (Liiga, Finland)
- Ross Armour – Nottingham Panthers (EIHL, United Kingdom)
- Carter Randklev – Hermes (Mestis, Finland)
- Gerry Fitzgerald – MoDo Hockey (HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden)
- Alex Ierullo – HC Pustertal (ICEHL, Italy)
- Samuel Solensky – HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
Jared Rubado took over as sports editor at the Bemidji Pioneer in February 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Alexandria Echo Press and sports editor of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal newspaper group.
He graduated from Augustana University in 2018 with journalism and sports management degrees.
You can reach Jared at [email protected] or (218) 316-2613. Follow him on Twitter at @JaredRubadoBP.
