Trevor Zegras:Changing The Game In A Way We’ve Never Seen Before

Introduction 

         Pound for pound, michigan for michigan, deke for deke, Trevor Zegras is every bit of the player the media is hyping him up to be - - and in the meantime, is changing player development like we’ve never seen before.

         So who is Trevor Zegras?

         Zegras is a 6’ 185 pound winger/center that was drafted 9th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft. Zegras played on one of the greatest junior teams of all time, the 2019 USNTDP U18 team, that featured the likes of himself, Jack Hughes, John Beecher, Matthew Boldy, Cam York, Cole Caufield, and Spencer Knight just to name a few. 

          Zegras was the first player that I fell in love with, just like so many other people. His combination of speed, agility, passing, silky smooth stickhandling and flat-out the way he thinks the game is to this day possibly the most exciting skillset in the entire NHL. 

Leading The Charge

       Zegras has already become one of the league’s most talented players in already his 2nd full season as a pro; but it’s what makes his game so exciting that’s changing the game. 

       Ever since Zegras’ time at the USNTDP he was an extremely creative offensive player. Heck, it’s not easy to put up 61 assists in 60 games. 

       Zegras really started to burst onto the scene when he suited up for the Boston University Terriers in the NCAA’s Hockey East conference. There, he would post one of the most underrated college hockey seasons in recent memory, scoring 11 goals for a total of 36 points in 33 games as a freshman.

Zegras caught eyes at the 2021 world junior championships in which he led the tournament in scoring with 18 points in 7 games, and helped the U.S. to their first Gold Medal since 2017. Along with that, he won the tournament’s most valuable player and drew attention from the World with his creative play style, thinking of the game, and unbelievably improved and refined offensive skillset. 

       Zegras had shown he could be a multi-dimensional player at the next level, and not just make his game solely based off of feeding his teammates. Instead, he showed a killer instinct in his game that no one had seen before. 

       He scored 7 goals in the 2021 world juniors as opposed to 0 the first year, and even managed to up his assists numbers from 9 in 2020, to 11 in 2021. 

       Zegras came into 2021-22 with booming expectations, that included Calder Trophy hopes.

Raising Popularity & Creating In A New Game 

        Trevor Zegras has dazzled in his first 2 seasons and of course that’s no secret. He has given light to a dim Ducks organization that has a great future backed with young talent like Jamie Drysdale and Troy Terry.

        After finishing 2nd in Calder Trophy voting behind defenseman Moritz “Mo” Seider of the Detroit Red Wings. He scored a total of 61 points in 75 games which was 1st in points by a rookie.

Zegras has transcended the way people think of great offensive players and he has almost broken the system in a way. His constant display of awareness and hockey IQ on the ice are just what make him so special, but are also exactly what have made scouts start to look for more in players.

       The perfect example of this was Zegras’ “Michigan pass” against the Buffalo Sabres last season in which he picked the puck up from behind the net, and flipped it over as Sonny Milano tapped it in.

       Those are the types of plays that simply break the system. They are so rare and uncommon that the moment one person does it, everyone wants to add it to their arsenal, and when that happens, those rare feats become everyday tools that a good player must have in their bag. 

       You see what I’m getting at?

       Zegras seems to pull out a new trick every night and it’s becoming so amazingly consistent that it’s the new normal. Not only when it comes to picking pucks up on your stick, but also when it comes to simple ways that Zegras is able to dissect a defense with puck skills. He consistently knows where everyone is on the ice which is exactly what got him to this point in his career. Zegras was never a full-on goal scorer. He was always known for his otherworldly vision which is why scouts were so zoomed in on him during his draft year.

       That developmental curve that Zegras has taken has allowed scouts to open up their playbooks to new ideas on what a player should have, and what they can gain from an NHL-level development. 

        He’s made the typical bar-standard draft pick and what they need to have in their game go way up. It’s no more “Mr. simple-stuff” (take that with a grain of salt of course), now you have to be good at something that justifies you being on the ice, but it also has to stick out. 

       A lot. 

Marketing 

      I’ll be short and sweet to the point:

      Zegras is marketable, and his play style is marketable.

      He’s breaking the system in not only the on ice aspect of the game, but the off-ice aspect. 

      Zegras even has EA clutching at his heels - - after all, who doesn’t want an athletic blonde boy that can break the crap out of your ankles if you get within a 100-feet proximity of him to be the face of their brand. 

      Zegras’ salary is still at rookie-scale, but he’ll be set for a renewed contract within the next couple of years. He’ll be a big money name to keep around, but what goes around comes around: Zegras puts fans in the stands and on their feet. He’s ultra-talented in offense and offense is exciting. Who doesn’t want to see a man ball-out, break ankles, do something crazy and score a handful of points in the process? 

       The average fan doesn’t care about goals against, or +/- as long as their winnings and pretty boy California hockey, I’m sorry to say, but will definitely win games - - if utilized the right way - - in today’s NHL and where it’s headed. 

Personal Success

           Zegras is now nearly ¾ of the way finished with his 2nd full season with the Ducks and has been a near-superstar - - thanks to both his popular play style and his legitimate skill. Zegras has been making a case for one of the rising players in this game for a while now, and it won’t be long until we see him crack the top 25 player mark in the league, he may even already be at the top 50 mark. 

         I can’t stress enough Zegras’ elite offensive game, and no matter the amount of critics that will say his defensive game is a liability (which it definitely is), the short is no one cares.

        As long as the puck goes in the net people are happy. 

        Zegras plays fast, smart, and creative which is the perfect recipe for a high-scoring affair for years to come. 

        Those numbers have been put on the scoresheet as well, as he’s excelled at putting up numbers even if his team is in a rebuilding stage. 

        He’s top six in points per 60 minutes, as shown below, of players 23 or younger in the NHL, ahead of guys like Rasmus Dahlin and Lucas Raymond. 

Enough said. 

        Let’s gear up to watch some high scoring, fast California boy hockey for the next 10 years, (that could be featuring the likes of Connor Bedard if the Ducks know how to tank properly).