The Colorado Avalanche have to love what they’re seeing out of Will Zellers at North Dakota.
Zellers is probably only a name familiar to diehard fans of the Avs, but eventually, he may turn into a name every Colorado fan knows.
And as the hockey season gets rolling not just at the NHL level but across the world on the ice, it’s worth looking at what Zellers is doing in the college hockey realm, because it’s impressive so far.
Will Zellers Stats
Zellers plays at the NCAA level for the University of North Dakota, known as the Fighting Hawks.
They’re off to a quick 2-0 start to the young season, and it’s in large part because of Zellers.
Through two games, he already has two goals and four assists to give himself six points.
He leads North Dakota in points on a roster filled with future professional players, and it’s also a solid continuation of what he did as a freshman in college last year.
In his first year on campus, Zellers played in 38 games and had 18 goals with 16 assists for 34 points.
Rarely does a college player average more than a point per game, so the fact that Zellers was close as a freshman is a great sign, and the fact that he has hit the ice at full speed for this season is an even better sign.
How Avalanche Got Will Zellers
Zellers was originally a third-round pick by the Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Draft. He went No. 76 overall to Colorado.
They were drafting him based on his time playing on a couple of different stages.
In his draft-eligible year, Zellers played for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a prep program — he had 57 goals and 54 assists for 111 points in 54 games played.
He also suited up that year for the USA U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and scored five goals with two assists in five games.
Zellers had previously played one game in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers and scored a goal, but he stuck with Shattuck-St. Mary’s in that draft-eligible season.
After getting drafted, Zellers then returned to the Green Bay Gamblers for a full season and was great. He played in 52 games and scored 44 goals with 27 assists for 71 points.
Zellers is a left-shot center from Minnesota who will turn 21 in April. He’s listed at 6-feet tall.
The Avalanche could consider potentially bringing him aboard at the end of this current college season if Zellers’ play at North Dakota continues to look like this — but even if he stays in college longer, Zellers looks like a solid find by the Avs.
Avalanche Prospect Will Zellers Rising Fast at North Dakota