Draft prospect profile: Center Trevor Zegras

  

Trevor Zegras

Center/wing

Shoots: Left

Height: 6’0.25”

Weight: 173

Amateur team: USNTDP

Date of birth: March 20, 2001

Place of birth: Bedford, NY, USA

NHL Central Scouting final ranking: 6th (North American skaters)

NHL comparable: Teuvo Teravainen

 

Zegras is part of a pack of terrific 2019 draft-eligible forwards from the U.S. National Team Development Program. But unlike the well-rounded Alex Turcotte or pure scorer Cole Caufield, Zegras’ forte’, a bit more like Jack Hughes, is playmaking and slowing the game down to make almost unbelievable passing plays in space. He is an effortless skater with good 360 degree mobility, and elite stickhandling ability. Zegras also demonstrates defensive responsibility and will defend over 200 feet of ice. Another hallmark of Zegras’ game is aggression, peskiness, and willingness to stand up for teammates, though he is not really a physical force even in amateur.

Like a lot of young, skilled forwards, Zegras will need to add weight and strength for the pro game—where the opportunities to make slick, crafty plays are reduced by the size and awareness of the world’s best players.

Projection

We used Teravainen as a comparable for Zegras (although Zegras’ ceiling may be higher) for a few obvious reasons: his size at draft age, talents and playing style, and the fact that he can arguably play all three forward positions. That last part is also a question: what is Zegras’ ultimate NHL position, center or wing? How a team views him ultimately, may impact where exactly he goes in the draft. If you see him as a center, will he have the overall physical package/willingness to be a first line center? But, like Patrick Kane, with Zegras’ exceptional talent, it may not matter as much exactly where he lines up for the faceoff.

A criticism leveled at Zegras has been, that although he is almost equally as crafty shooting the puck as he is passing it, he has a tendency to overpass and not take shots he should. A la Nick Schmaltz.

Through growth and maturation, Teravainen has become a good NHL player—but he had to work at it. So will Zegras, to achieve his top potential. But you can’t coach rare vision and hands—both of which he has in abundance. Also, Zegras’ passion for the game suggests he will work to realize all of his exceptional talent—which will continue this fall at Boston University.

Implications for the Blackhawks

Broken record time: the Blackhawks have enough organizational holes at this point that Zegras could likely fill a meaningful role for the team in 2 seasons. The Hawks will likely never simply “replace” Patrick Kane. But, if you wanted a player to step in and approximate Kane at some point as an elite playmaker and power play presence on the half-board, he could ultimately be that guy, which is probably a more realistic development track for the young forward than replacing Jonathan Toews as a three-zone, first line center.

While projected to go in the top 10, most mock drafts have Zegras in the 5-10 range, where he might make more sense for Chicago, were they to trade down. However, like Caufield and Vasili Podkolzin, opinions on Zegras’ ultimate draft slot vary, and he could crack the top 5.

Highlights

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Center Ice Forums Draft prospect profile: Center Trevor Zegras

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  • #13649
    John Jaeckel
    Participant

    Trevor Zegras Center/wing Shoots: Left Height: 6’0.25” Weight: 173 Amateur team: USNTDP Date of birth: March 20, 2001 Place of birth: Bedford, NY, USA
    [To continue reading full article, click here: Draft prospect profile: Center Trevor Zegras]

    #13678
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    JJ, sometimes it’s easy to forget how solid a hockey mind you have then you write a piece like this (and the Podkolzin scouting report too) and that memory evaporates.   You don’t write enough anymore IMO……… Fantastic look at Zegras and how it relates to the Hawks past and present.

    Love the TT comparison, one I hadn’t connected.  Not perfect but close enough.  As you know I’ve said Zegras checks all Hawks boxes from the day they got the #3 and that’s skill, skill, skill, skill, skill and I think they draft him.

    And you remember how high I was on TT coming out of the WJC as he was up there with guys like Peter Forseberg in terms of production.  Like Zegras TT is super skilled but Z plays a grittier game, plays bigger, probably more compete, is thicker and plays, or can play, center.  Not sure TT has a peer in quick twitch explosion but Z is dynamic too and doesn’t have the alligator arms TT does.

    No doubt the Hawks would have kept and allowed to marinate the perimeter alligator arms style TT played, cuz he’s really skilled, had it not been for cap hell.  I think you get the skill of TT without the warts of softish play in Zegras.   ……… But the key you point out, and will determine how high Z goes, is the organIzation drafting him projects him as a center or wing.

    Anyone who’s followed jrs/prospects for even a little while rarely speaks in absolutes about prospects but I feel safe saying of the players I’ve seen to be drafted Zegras could very well be the most offensively skilled and an 80-90 point guy in the NHL while playing a 2 way game.  And if he can play center doing so like a Barzal or  Aho he’s what the Hawks’ dreams are made of.

    If Zegras is their guy the hope is they can move down to LA or DET and add a pick or prospect and still get their man.  If Byram is not their man they have to leverage that #3 slot, they have to, or they walk away with money left on the table.

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