Bruins prospect wins USHL Player of the Year award
Boston’s best trade addition may not be a player already in the NHL, but a 19-year-old who just took the USHL by storm.
Green Bay Gamblers forward Will Zellers (34) skates with the puck against the Waterloo Black Hawks on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Waterloo won the game, 6-3.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinThe Boston Bruins' best trade addition of the past season may not be in the NHL yet.
And we're not talking about a draft pick, but a prospect who lit it up in juniors. Forward Will Zellers has won the USHL Player of the Year award, the league announced Wednesday. Zellers also won Forward of the Year and was named to the All-USHL Team this week.
Zellers, 19, led the USHL with 44 goals in just 52 games for the Green Bay Gamblers, and totaled 71 points. He also tallied a goal and two assists in two playoff games. Zellers has committed to play at the University of North Dakota, starting in the fall of 2025.
Originally a third-round pick (76th overall) to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Draft, Zellers came to the Bruins along with a second-round pick and forward Casey Mittelstadt in the trade that sent Charlie Coyle to the Avs.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinWIll Zellers
If Zellers' production translates to the college game, it's likely he won't be at North Dakota for long. The question for the Bruins is when they want to eventually sign him to his entry-level deal, and how they handle his development from there.
But based on how he performed in the USHL, Zellers has the potential to greatly out-perform his third-round draft stock. If and when he's NHL-ready, the retooling, offense-starved Bruins may need him in short order.
