Zam Plante

May 2026 — Plante turned in the best offensive season of his college career in 2025-26. He crossed 48 points as a UMD sophomore, and his 45 points through 36 games ranked third among all NCHC scorers before a postseason run that reached the NCAA Albany Regional final. He plays a smart, detailed two-way center game, ranking among the NCAA leaders in faceoff wins and drawing trust on the penalty kill. He has confirmed he will return to Duluth for 2026-27 to play alongside both brothers. The fantasy ceiling is capped by physical tools. At 5-9 he lacks the size and high-end burst that would push him toward a scoring-line NHL projection, and Pittsburgh has shown no urgency to sign him. The likely outcome is a bottom-six, faceoff-and-kill role player whose fantasy value in standard formats is thin, with deeper-league appeal tied to peripherals. The offense is real, though. Another 45-plus-point season as a junior, ideally with cleaner even-strength production away from Max’s line, would force Pittsburgh into an actual decision on his entry-level rights. Andrew Epps