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Prospect Update: Olen Zellweger

Photo: Everett Silvertips

By Thomas Harrington

Anaheim’s second round pick from 2021, defenseman Olen Zellweger, was dominant for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL this past season.

In 55 games, Zellweger scored 14 goals and 78 points, averaging over an assist per game. What makes this even more impressive to me is he did this after not playing a ton of hockey in the 2020-2021 season, when he only played in 11 WHL games. He led Everett in assists with 64 and finished third in points, while leading the defense in goals, assists, and points. He led all WHL defensemen in assists and points, while finishing tied for ninth in goals. His longest pointless streak of the season was two games, and that only happened once.

For his great season, Zellweger won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL defenseman of the year. He had the most points of any defenseman in the CHL and his 1.42 points per game were the most by an 18-year-old defenseman in the WHL since Scott Neidermayer had 1.44 points per game in the 1990-1991 season. He also set the single season points mark by a defenseman for the Silvertips.

Zellweger suffered a scary-looking injury late in the regular season but returned for the playoffs. Everett was defeated by the Vancouver Giants in a six-game upset in the opening round of the playoffs, but he scored two goals and nine points in the series loss. Because of the defeat, Zellweger joined the Gulls on an ATO and played in one playoff game for them. He became the youngest player to play a game for the Gulls. It took a little while, but he got more comfortable as the game went along and picked up an assist late in the game. Despite his strong game, he was scratched for the second game as San Diego went with a more veteran lineup.

When the World Juniors were originally played back in December, Zellweger played for Team Canada and scored a goal in two games. When it was rescheduled for August, he once again played for Team Canada. Zellweger had a truly remarkable tournament, leading all defensemen with nine assists and 11 points, while being tied for the tournament lead in assists and third in tournament scoring. He was one of the primary reasons why Canada won the Gold Medal and was named to the tournament All-Star Team.

Zellweger is a small defenseman but is a fantastic skater with a ton of offensive skill. He makes fast, smart decisions with the puck and rarely gets caught in a compromising position. Zellweger was also one of the youngest players taken in the 2021 NHL Draft. If he was a week older he would have been a 2022 draft pick instead. Given the season he just had, there’s no question that he would have been a first round pick, and arguably a top 10 or even top five pick.

This coming season, Zellweger will likely be back in the WHL for what should be his final year of junior hockey. Depending on how far Everett goes, he could join the Gulls again at the conclusion of the season on another ATO. If he has a stellar training camp, it wouldn’t shock me if the Ducks gave him a few NHL games at the start of the season, but I think he should spend most of the year in junior hockey. However, if he does make Anaheim’s roster out of training camp and continues to impress, there’s a chance he spends the entire year in Anaheim.

After a truly remarkable season, it’s hard to set expectations for Zellweger. I don’t want to put things so far out of reach but I also don’t want to set the bar too low. First, I want him to once again average an assist per game. I’m okay with fewer assists, but I’d like to see him average at least one per game again. Second, I’d like to see him approach the 20 goal mark. Finally, I want Zellweger to play at the World Juniors again.

If Zellweger can improve on this past season, he could bypass the AHL after juniors and go directly to the NHL in the 2023-2024 season. However, he could probably use a little more muscle on his frame, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start that season with San Diego and then work his way up to the NHL, similar to what Shea Theodore did in his first full season of professional hockey when he played in 50 AHL games and 19 NHL ones. There’s also a chance that if he has a good enough training camp, the Ducks may decide to give him a few games of NHL action before returning him to juniors.

Zellweger is already signed to his entry-level contract and it will begin once he has played in 10 games for Anaheim or completed his junior hockey career. Zellweger is easily one of Anaheim’s top defensive prospects, and I fully expect him to be re-signed once this deal is over, likely on a one-way contract, and hopefully on a long term deal, since that will mean he has proven himself to be an NHL regular on Anaheim’s backend.

The next and final prospect update will be on Mason McTavish.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Jacob Perreault

Prospect Update: Artyom Galimov

Prospect Update: Albin Sundsvik

Prospect Update: Sam Colangelo

Prospect Update: Sasha Pastujov

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September 24th, 2022

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