Colton Sissons (born November 5, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sissons was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round, 50th overall, of the 2012 NHL entry draft, with whom he played the first eleven seasons of his career.
Growing up in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Sissons played with the Vancouver NW Giants of the BC Hockey Major Midget League and Westside Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League. Following this, he joined the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for three seasons. During his 2012–13 season with the Rockets, Sissons scored 28 goals and 39 assists through 61 games and was named team MVP and the top defensive forward for the season.
Sissons concluded his major junior ice hockey career in 2013 upon joining the Predators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. While centering the Admirals' first line, Sissons was selected for the 2014 AHL All-Star Game after being tied for second amongst league rookies with 13 goals. Sissons completed his first professional season by appearing in 17 NHL games and tallying four points with the Predators. Prior to the start of the 2015–16 season, Sissons became the youngest player in franchise history to be named captain of the Admirals.
Early life Sissons was born on November 5, 1993, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, to parents Doug and Debbie. Growing up, he played minor ice hockey with the North Vancouver and North Shore Winter Club. As a youth, he played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with his North Vancouver team.
Playing career Amateur During the 2008–09 season, Sissons was the youngest forward on the Vancouver NW Giants of the BC Hockey Major Midget League. During this season, he ranked fifth overall in scoring across the league with 54 points as he led them to the BC Major Midget League Championships. At the age of 15, Sissons was drafted by the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) but he was unsure if he wanted to forgo his NCAA eligibility by signing with them. While playing midget ice hockey in Vancouver, he was teammates with future Edmonton Oilers player Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Following this, Sissons competed with the British Columbia Hockey League's Westside Warriors, where he tallied six goals and 22 points through 58 games. In 2010, Sissons's playing rights were traded to the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for Curt Gogol.
Sissons joined the Kelowna Rockets for the 2010–11 season, his rookie season. During the season, he recorded a hat-trick on February 16, 2011, to help the Rockets jump into first place in the WHL BC division. The goals, which were his 12th, 13th, and 14th of the season, also helped the Rockets improve to 32–23–0–1 in the season. In March, Sissons missed three games for the Rockets while recovering from a leg injury. At the conclusion of the season, Sissons won the Rockets' Rookie of the Year Award and Plus/Minus Award. He was also invited to participate in the NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp.
In his first year of NHL draft eligibility, Sissons finished his second season in the WHL with 26 goals, including a team-leading 13 power play, through 58 games as the Rockets finished in sixth place in the Western Conference. He was named captain of Team Orr for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game after tallying 25 goals and 36 points through 48 games. Leading up to the 2012 NHL entry draft, Sissons was ranked 14th amongst all North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He was eventually drafted 50th overall by the Nashville Predators and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team. Sissons was returned to the Rockets for the 2012–13 season, where he scored 28 goals and 39 assists through 61 games. During the season, he was invited to participate in Team Canada's national junior team training camp but had to pull out after suffering a left arm injury. Despite this, he was named the Rockets MVP and top defensive forward for the season.
Professional Nashville Predators After attending the Predators' 2013 training camp, Sissons was re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, for the 2013–14 season. While centering the Admirals first line, he tallied his first professional point, an assist, in his debut game. Prior to turning 20, Sissons had recorded four goals and two assists in his first eight games to be tied for second in scoring across the team. His maturity earned him praise from Admirals coach Dean Evason, who said: "It's as if he's been a 10-year pro in how he goes about his business, how he prepares for games, and how he is with his teammates off the ice." As the season continued, Sissons continued to produce and recorded a five-game point streak from November 9 through November 13. By January, he was tied for second amongst league rookies with 13 goals and was subsequently selected for the 2014 AHL All-Star Game. As a result of his play, Sissons earned his first NHL recall on January 27, 2014, He subsequently made his NHL debut the following evening, registering an assist to help the Predators to a 4–3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Sissons played 10:49 of ice time and finished with a +1 rating. His point marked the first assist from a Predators rookie in his NHL debut since Nick Spaling in 2009. Sissons was returned to the AHL after playing in three games but was recalled again on February 8. In his 14th NHL game, Sissons scored his first career NHL goal against Matt Hackett in a 6–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The goal came at 6:26 in the first period to give the Predators a 1–0 lead. Sissons completed his first professional season by appearing in 17 games and tallying four points with the Predators.
Upon concluding his rookie season, the Predators fired Barry Trotz and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. Following the coaching change, Sissons said it helped boost his excitement level for his 2014–15 season in the AHL. He spent the entirety of the season with the Admirals, where he became the first Admirals player in their AHL history to record back-to-back 25-goal seasons to start his career.
Prior to the start of the 2015–16 season, Sissons became the first forward since Tony Hrkac to be named captain for the Admirals alongside alternates Cody Bass and Coner Allen. Following the announcement, Sissons also became the youngest captain in Admirals history. After an 18-months absence, Sissons made a return to the NHL, receiving a recall from the AHL by the Predators on November 10, 2015. He appeared later that night, playing on the fourth line in a high-scoring 7–5 victory over the Ottawa Senators. He posted the Predators' opening goal of the evening at 6:55 of the first period to beat goaltender Craig Anderson. Sissons played in eight games before being re-assigned to the AHL after Eric Nystrom was activated off injured reserve. By February 2016, Sissons had tallied two points through 19 appearances for the Predators and had a 59 percent success rate in face-offs to rank the best among all NHLers taking at least 100 draws. As a result, Sissons signed a three-year, $1.875 million contract extension to remain with the Predators organization. The following month, Sissons was recalled to the NHL level and changed his jersey number from 84 to 10 because "Eighty-four was a little bit too skilled of a number." On March 8, his first game following his recall, Sissons recorded a goal and an assist in the 4–2 win over the Winnipeg Jets for his first multi-point game. As well, he continued to succeed in the face-off circle and ranked second on the team in face-off wins. Sissons and the Predators qualified for the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they faced the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. Through 10 post-season games, Sissons remained pointless.
Sissons returned to the Predators for their pre-season action, where he played in two exhibition games and logged 12:49 minutes of ice time. In the first year of his new contract, Sissons began the 2016–17 season on the Predators' fourth-line before moving up the lineup. He was eventually teamed up with captain Mike Fisher and Austin Watson for the Predators shutdown line and scored his first career NHL hat-trick in January. His hat-trick came in a 6–1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. After being scratched for seven games between February 23 and March 7, Sisson returned to the Predators lineup and broke out offensively. During a game against the Calgary Flames on March 27, Sisson scored a goal to help lead the team to a 3–1 win in his 100th career NHL game.
As the Predators narrowly qualified for the 2017 playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, they met the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. In Game 2, Sissons scored his first career playoff goal on Blackhawks' goaltender Corey Crawford to become one of four Predators players (besides Ryan Ellis, Kevin Fiala and Harry Zolnierczyk, respectively) to score their first career playoff goals and lead the team to a 5–0 win in the game for a 2–0 series lead. Sissons continued to produce and scored another goal in Game 4 to lead the Predators to a four game sweep of the Blackhawks. Following this win, Sissons and the Predators met the St. Louis Blues in Round Two. After tallying two assists in a Game 3 win over the Blues, Sissons had recorded two goals and four assists through seven games. With his assistance, the Predators beat the Blues and met with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 Western Conference Final. Due to injuries to top-line forwards Ryan Johansen and Mike Fisher, Sissons was elevated to the first-line role in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. During Game 6, he scored a hat-trick—including the game-winning goal—as the Predators defeated the Ducks 6–3 to win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl trophy and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. Sissons also set another record by becoming the first player to score a hat trick in a series-clinching win in the conference final since Patrick Kane in 2013. He remained in this shutdown role as the Predators met the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. During Game 5 of the Finals, which the Penguins won 6–0, Sissons received a Match penalty after cross-checking Olli Maatta with 34 seconds remaining in the period. He was not suspended following the game and remained eligible to play in Game 6. Following the Predator's elimination from the playoffs, they released their 2017 NHL expansion draft for the Vegas Golden Knights which did not include Sissons.
In the Predators home opener for the 2017–18 season, Sissons and Roman Josi each missed the game due to injuries. Following an injury to Nick Bonino in October, Sissons took on increased responsibility including penalty killing. On March 17, 2018, Sissons scored two goals to help the Predators become the first team to clinch a playoff spot. During their first round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Sissons played on the Predators top-line alongside Nick Bonino and Austin Watson. By Game 4, Sissons had accumulated three goals and two assists for five points as a top-line winger while his line combined for nine goals and 19 points as the series concluded. With his assistance, the Predators beat the Avalanche in Game 6 and qualified for the Western Conference Second Round against the Winnipeg Jets. He finished the post-season with seven points through 13 games.