When the Vegas Golden Knights had the opportunity to trade for Mitch Marner over the summer, it was a no-brainer. He’s one of the best playmakers in the league with two 100-point seasons under his belt. If that’s not enough, he’s also elite defensively and annually receives votes for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
However, they’ll miss the player they sent back the other way.
For the first time since 2019, the Golden Knights opened Training Camp without Nicolas Roy on the roster. Now, there’s a new face centering the fourth line: former Nashville Predator Colton Sissons.
The Golden Knights have a reputation for rostering defensively responsible forwards, and Sissons is no exception. He throws hits, blocks shots, and forechecks hard. Sissons opened Training Camp on a line with Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar, who both set personal records last year. Howden set new career highs in both goals (23) and points (40); Kolesar set career highs in goals (12), assists (18), points (30), and ice time (13:12).
“We’re just trying to learn each other’s games,” Sissons told Vegas Hockey Now on Friday. “They’re very familiar with each other, so I’m just getting to know them and some of their strengths… I think we can all move well. We all like the tenacious parts of the game– we’re not afraid of the dirty areas or getting in on the forecheck.”
This addition means that the Golden Knights have four lines where the center can win a critical face-off draw. Sissons, now 31, hasn’t posted a face-off win percentage below 50% since his rookie season.
His secret? He’s a student of the game.
“I watch a lot of video,” said Sissons. “I just like to see guys’ tendencies and I can kind of nitpick them from there… Bergeron used to be a guy I’d watch a lot. [I mostly watch] right-handed guys because I’m right-handed. One guy in here that I’m really happy not to take draws against this year is Hertl– he was a menace for me in the face-off dot. He’s a horse… Mike Fisher was a guy that I watched a lot and learned from in my early days in Nashville.”