23-05-2025
2025 PWHL Draft Profile: Kiara Zanon
Kiara Zanon is a highly skilled forward coming out of Ohio State University this season who will hear her name in the opening half of the 2025 PWHL Draft.
Zanon saw her numbers dip slightly this season with the Buckeyes recording 32 points in 40 games, but when you look behind the numbers, she remained dominant in advanced categories. Zanon is a possession player who gets to scoring areas using her skating and deceptive puck skills.
Looking at advanced numbers, Zanon was among NCAA leaders in expected goals, as well as in terms of possession and scoring chance metrics such as Fenwick and Corsi.
With the puck on her stick, Zanon controls play maintaining possession upon zone entries, and she had one of the better pre shot passing stat lines in NCAA hockey as well.
As a slightly smaller player, Zanon uses her intelligence and in zone movement to find free space and evade coverage.
Prior to joining Ohio State, where she helped the Buckeyes win a 2024 NCAA national title, Zanon was a captain at Penn State. In total she averaged well over a point per game across her five NCAA seasons scoring 191 points in 171 games.
She was twice a Patty Kazmaier finalist, and as a rookie was named the NCAA's national Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-American.
Zanon also won a pair of medals representing USA at the U-18 World Championships. This season she also suited up for USA's national development team.
