David Silye is no stranger to the BCHL. Two seasons with the Nanaimo Clippers has seen the Arnprior, Ontario native establish himself as an offensive threat each time he jumps over the boards. After eight goals and 10 assists as a rookie in 2016-17, Silye broke out last year with 10 goals and 31 assists.
“I think just understanding my body better as I’ve gotten older,” Silye said of his growth as a player. “Developing a bit more confidence in myself and knowing that I can play at the level I’m playing at right now.”
Last season wasn’t the first time Silye took a big step forward offensively; his first year of minor midget in Ontario he nearly doubled his point totals from his bantam season the year before.
While he played all of his minor hockey in the Ottawa region, Silye spent a lot of time in Calgary as a kid and has a brother that lives in Vancouver. All of that combined with an opportunity to play in the BCHL worked out well for him and his family.
“My mom wanted to move back to Vancouver so I kind of had a feeling my family wanted to go back West,” Silye recalled. “At the time Kanata wasn’t the best situation for me and there was an opportunity in Nanaimo.”
During his final midget season Silye affiliated with the Kanata Lasers of the CCHL, scoring a goal and an assist in 10 games. The team finished with a 7-54-1 record during the 2015-16 season.
The move to the West Coast was Silye’s first chance to really experience what British Columbia has to offer he said, and perhaps unsurprisingly, he immediately fell in love with it.
After his solid rookie season, Silye was determined to be more of an impact player in his second year, and he circled back to a word he used before.
“It all comes down to confidence for sure,” he stated. “Once I settled down into my role with the team later in the season that’s when I kind of took off.”
Once the calendar flipped over to 2018, Silye’s offensive production went through the roof as he tallied 20 points over the final 20 games before adding three goals and an assist in six playoff games as the Clippers were eliminated by the Powell River Kings.
His effort didn’t go unnoticed around the league and south of the border, as Clarkson University kept close tabs on him which culminated with a scholarship for the 2019-20 season.
“I’m super excited about, it feels like such a relief going into the season having that security,” Silye said. “Now I can just focus on hockey and not have to worry about all the outside stuff.”
Working hockey camps in Ontario has kept Silye busy over the summer months, but in July news came out that he would be wearing a blue jersey instead of orange for the 2018-19 season as he was acquired in a trade for Marcus Mitchell. It was something Silye was thrilled about.
“Even just visiting and coming to the rink it’s amazing,” Silye said. “The atmosphere is unbelievable and I’m excited. I’m hoping to be a bit of a go-to guy for this year. I’m looking forward to getting to know all the other guys and seeing the kind of style they play so we can all fit into our roles. I’m a pass-first kind of player so hopefully we’ve got some guys who can put the puck in the net.”
With roster changes and NCAA commitments, the Vees are losing players who combined for 162 of their 216 goals from the 2017-18 season, so the team and the fans are hoping the new faces can put the puck in the net as well.
