Will Zellers's goal-scoring touch is a welcome sight in Bruins' deepening prospect pool

Boston Globe

30-06-2025

'I was pretty surprised that I was getting traded at a young age,' Zellers said Monday at Boston's development camp. 'But to get traded to a place like this — an Original Six team — is pretty special. I was very excited. I will always forever be grateful for Colorado and what they did for me. … But for Boston to believe in me at this age, it's pretty special.'
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Welcome to town,
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins)
The 5-foot-11-inch winger may not be the most imposing presence on the ice. The same can't be said for the screaming salvos of vulcanized rubber that he uncorked at Warrior Ice Arena.
'You can tell right away that he's just fitting right into the group,'
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As the Bruins look to build up the next wave of young talent to support the likes of
David Pastrnak
up front, Zellers's stock has soared in recent months given his knack for finding the back of the net.
The Maple Grove, Minn., earned USHL Player of the Year honors after scoring 44 goals and 71 points across 52 games with the Green Bay Gamblers — his first full season in the league.
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Possessing both a sharp wrist shot and a willingness to drive into Grade-A ice for greasy scoring bids, his scoring touch is a welcome addition for a franchise looking to inject more skill into its depth chart.
Zellers said he models his game after another player who grew up in Minnesota,
Jake Guentzel
. At 5-11 and 179 pounds, Guentzel's blistering shot and offensive instincts have helped him score 30-plus goals five times.
It remains to be seen if Zellers can replicate that type of production in the NHL ranks, but the winger, who will attend North Dakota in the fall, isn't looking too far ahead as he tries to build off his breakout USHL season.
'They were just talking to me, telling me not to look too much into it — that I'm still a great player,' Zellers said of Boston's message to him after the trade. 'Kind of wanted to make sure that I wasn't questioning myself and my worth and what's wrong with me. So they were just very reassuring about it and just told me to keep playing how it's playing throughout the year. They're really happy with my game.'
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Vashek Blanar looked to take big strides as the Bruins opened development camp.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Once an unknown, Blanar stands out early
Vashek Blanar
couldn't help but scroll through his phone on Saturday afternoon.
On the day he found out that
'I've seen a lot on Twitter and YouTube — like, 'Who's this guy?' 'If you Google his name, he doesn't exist.' It's been pretty fun to see that," Blanar said.
Despite Blanar's intriguing skillset as a 6-4 defenseman with poised offensive instincts, the Colorado native, who moved back to his parents' native Czechia when he was 4 years old, wasn't exactly viewed as a hot commodity.
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Blanar was omitted from several draft rankings after the raw prospect spent last season skating in the Swedish junior leagues.
The returns Monday were encouraging. The big-bodied blue liner moved the puck cleanly during drills while also wiring a few shots home from the point.
Another year in Sweden awaits, but Blanar is excited to join the same organization as Pastrnak, his favorite player.
'I followed him a lot,' Blanar said of Pastrnak, who himself spent two years in Sweden before turning pro. 'It's always been a dream of mine to play in Boston.
No. 7 overall draft pick James Hagens joined the other prospective Bruins at development camp.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Loose pucks
Count Zellers among those who are
Oskar Jellvik
did not make the trek from Sweden as he recovers from an upper-body injury. 'He's tracking fine,' McQuaid said …
Dean Letourneau
,
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Conor Ryan can be reached at