Will Zellers continues to give the Bruins things to be excited about.
The 19-year-old forward, who the Bruins acquired in the Charlie Coyle trade, was one of the stars of Day 1 of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in St. Paul.
Zellers, who was a late addition to the Team USA squad, has made himself indispensable so far. He had two goals and an assist in the Americans’ 6-3 win over Germany on Friday.
Fellow Bruins prospect James Hagens had an assist for Team USA, which is one of the favorites.
Zellers, who is one of the top freshmen in college hockey, has 10 goals and five assists in 18 games for North Dakota. He said his confidence continues to grow.
“It’s pretty high right now,” Zellers told the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald. “I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work. I’m shooting 10,000 pucks every summer. I love to do it. It’s not so much confidence, more just reassurance that I know I can do it. If I put in the work and the effort, I know it’s going to come eventually. It’s just nice to have it come this early in the tournament.”
This tournament has extra significance for Zellers, who grew up just outside of the Twin Cities.
“It’s so special growing up and going to games here, going to the tourney,” Zellers said. “It’s pretty special to play in this rink when it’s packed like that. For us to have so much support from USA fans, especially when ‘U-S-A’ chants are going off in the middle of a game, it’s so special and we feel that energy.”
Zellers was a late addition to camp for this team and his tryout intensity has carried over into the tournament.
“I want to have a chip on my shoulder. I want to prove not just to the coaches but to myself that I do belong here and I do deserve a spot on this roster,” Zellers said. “To have a game like that and the trust from the coaches means a lot.”
Coach Bob Motzko was glad to have him.
“The bottom line is he was always in the mix,” Motzko told the Grand Forks Herald. “ He really started to heat up on the power play, and he’s got a great stick. … It was a great call that they made.”
