Team: Boston Bruins
https://ushl.com/ht#/player/10016/85/willazellers

Fantasy Summary

Highly-skilled shooter and puck-handler who accelerates every puck he gets. Boom-or-bust project with second-line upside.


Observations

March 2026 – Will Zellers has been one of the more exciting prospects to watch this season. The 19-year-old spent the year at the University of North Dakota, recording 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points in 35 games, further building his reputation as a natural scorer. After not initially being invited to Team USA’s World Junior camp, Zellers forced his way onto the roster and went on to be the team’s best player at the tournament, putting up five goals and three assists for eight points in five games.
A product of Shattuck St. Mary’s and the reigning USHL Forward of the Year and Player of the Year, Zellers is a highly skilled forward who makes the game look effortless. His skating is a major strength, as he plays with speed, agility, and a “slippery” style that allows him to find open lanes and create separation. Combined with his quick hands, he’s extremely difficult to defend in transition.
Zellers is best known for his goal-scoring ability. He possesses an NHL-caliber shot with a quick, deceptive release and the ability to adjust in tight spaces, making him a constant scoring threat. While he’s primarily a shooter, he also shows solid vision and puck skills, capable of making plays and finding teammates when needed.
At times, his pace can work against him, as he occasionally outskates his support, causing plays to die before they develop fully. Additionally, at around 5-10 and 180 pounds, adding strength and continuing to develop his defensive game will be important moving forward. Kenny Kaminsky
July 2025 – Zellers wrapped up an impressive 2024-25 season for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL with 44 goals and 27 assists in just 52 games. That’s almost a goal per game pace & he was consistent throughout the season in his offensive contribution. Playing alongside Cole Reschny in North Dakota in 2025-26 should put him in a great position to continue putting up high goal scoring totals given Reschny’s playmaking ability. This duo will be fun to watch, and if Zellers keeps scoring the way he has while he transitions to higher levels of competition, his second line scoring upside at the NHL level becomes more realistic then boom or bust. Ioan Gheordanescu

March 2025 – Zellers has been traded to the Boston Bruins in the Charlie Coyle deal. Pat Quinn

December 2024 – In his first season in the USHL, Zellers has been a pure scorer, transitioning seamlessly to the higher level of play. His 15 goals in 17 games leads Green Bay despite missing several games while he won gold with Team USA in the Junior A Challenge. He scored two goals in the championship game and finished the tournament with 5 points in 5 games. His stock will continue to rise if he can dominate throughout the entire season, but the biggest test yet awaits him as he transitions to NCAA play in 2025-26; he has already committed to North Dakota. Hayden Soboleski

June 2024 – Zellers was selected 76th overall by the Avalanche. Pat Quinn

June 2024 — Zellers’ game flows through his hands and feet. He’s always trying something, whether it’s attacking a defender’s heels or pulling away from opponents with inside cuts and strong edgework. His main issue is that he doesn’t know what to do once he’s forced to stop up or slow down. He gets tunnel vision and lacks the pure skill to open up passing lanes himself. The lack of a fallback game is also a concern, but few in this draft have Zellers’ level of improvisational skill. He could be worth a mid-round shout for a team confident enough in their scouting staff. Hadi Kalakeche

Final rankings: 119th

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 7.0
NHL Certainty 4.5
Country USA
Position LW
Roster Type NCAA
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth April 4, 2006
Height 5‘11”
Weight 163 lbs
Drafted 2024 Round 3; Overall: 76
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2025-2026NCAAUniv. of North Dakota38181634293
2024-2025WJAC-19USA U19523540
2024-2025USHLGreen Bay Gamblers5244277159-2
2023-2024USHS-PrepShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep545754111260
2023-2024USA-S17Minnesota District636940
2023-2024PHCShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep1412102240
2023-2024Hlinka Gretzky CupUSA U18552782
2022-2023USHS-PrepShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep37193049320
2022-2023USHLGreen Bay Gamblers11010-2
2022-2023USA-S16Team Black514500
2022-2023PHCShattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep147815200
2022-2023MNHPB16 - Blue (Final 54)334700
2021-2022USA-S15Team Kelly404420
2021-2022MNHPB15 - District 3313400
2021-202215U AAAShattuck St. Mary's 15U AAA61374279380
2020-2021WYC U15MN Machine U15832500
2020-2021MNBEL 14UMN Bolts 14U AAA101100
2020-2021MNBEL 14UMN Sharks 15U AAA600000
2020-2021MNBEL 14UMN Wisconsin 15U AAA1123500
2018-2019QC Int PWTeam Minnesota512300

Highlights