Prospect Info: 2023 NHL Draft - 3rd Round - 82nd Overall - Zachary Nehring RW

[Mortimer Snerd]

Need to give this thread a bump. Nehring has really found his game as a freshman on one of the top NCAA teams. 7g and 5a in his last 10 games and climbing the scoring list on his team despite being 2-3 years younger than most top forwards.

Now up to 13g 13a in 34 games.

Not sure what happened between last season and this season, but he's looking like a legit prospect. Looking like a big, aggressive right-shot forward with some skill.

My theory is that staying in USHS system Pejorative Slured his development just a bit. So I look at each of his seasons as though it was 1 season earlier. Just as a rough adjustment.

I think Jets scouts saw potential and risked a late 3rd rd pick on him. Probably could have still got him in the 4th but Jets didn't have a 4th. He is now catching up.

Still has a long way to go but has a chance at an NHL career.

 

[Whileee]

My theory is that staying in USHS system Pejorative Slured his development just a bit. So I look at each of his seasons as though it was 1 season earlier. Just as a rough adjustment.

I think Jets scouts saw potential and risked a late 3rd rd pick on him. Probably could have still got him in the 4th but Jets didn't have a 4th. He is now catching up.

Still has a long way to go but has a chance at an NHL career.

Was thinking about Nehring when we see how NHL playoffs require some big aggressive forwards that can play in traffic and around the net.

Nehring has developed into a big (6'5") aggressive RW with plenty of skill.

There was a ton of criticism of this pick (just look back a couple of pages) but it's actually looking like he could be a steal in the 3rd round. Apparently was slowed by concussion issues but has recovered and had no issues last season in the NCAA. If he has a really good off-season and a good year next season, I think he could be signed as early as next Spring / Summer. Might be able to make the jump straight to the NHL when he leaves college. He might be a good RW to play alongside Barron or Lowry in a year or two. Could be a real problem for opponents.

Here's a nice article about him...
Jets Prospect Report - April 2025 | Winnipeg Jets

 

[Daximus]

Was thinking about Nehring when we see how NHL playoffs require some big aggressive forwards that can play in traffic and around the net.

Nehring has developed into a big (6'5") aggressive RW with plenty of skill.

There was a ton of criticism of this pick (just look back a couple of pages) but it's actually looking like he could be a steal in the 3rd round. Apparently was slowed by concussion issues but has recovered and had no issues last season in the NCAA. If he has a really good off-season and a good year next season, I think he could be signed as early as next Spring / Summer. Might be able to make the jump straight to the NHL when he leaves college. He might be a good RW to play alongside Barron or Lowry in a year or two. Could be a real problem for opponents.

Here's a nice article about him...
Jets Prospect Report - April 2025 | Winnipeg Jets

I was definitely hesitant with this pick at first but it's looking like it's paying off a bit. I have less worries about a kid like Nehring staying the full 4 years in NCAA as he's already 20. He'd be hitting FA by 24 years old which is a big gamble for mid round pick to take so I'd imagine he signs this summer or the next at the very least.

 

[Whileee]

I was definitely hesitant with this pick at first but it's looking like it's paying off a bit. I have less worries about a kid like Nehring staying the full 4 years in NCAA as he's already 20. He'd be hitting FA by 24 years old which is a big gamble for mid round pick to take so I'd imagine he signs this summer or the next at the very least.

He was a key player on an NCAA champ as a freshman. Most of the core players on that team were 2-3 years older. I watched a few of the games and he played at a very fast pace, making quick puck decisions. He's obviously developed substantially over the past year or two. He needs to gain strength to play that style at the NHL level, but he fits Arniel's style to a tee. Seems to have a pretty solid floor as a mid- or bottom-6 RW, considering his size and style of play, and showing that he could be a key cog in a top NCAA team.

 

[Daximus]

He was a key player on an NCAA champ as a freshman. Most of the core players on that team were 2-3 years older. I watched a few of the games and he played at a very fast pace, making quick puck decisions. He's obviously developed substantially over the past year or two. He needs to gain strength to play that style at the NHL level, but he fits Arniel's style to a tee. Seems to have a pretty solid floor as a mid- or bottom-6 RW, considering his size and style of play, and showing that he could be a key cog in a top NCAA team.

Yeah seems to have developed well. We've taken a few of these bigger kids with upside in the mid rounds like Stallard, Julien, Virtanen, Nikkanen, Torgersson that have looked early on to be good pickups and then just can't translate at the next level.

I'm hoping he finally bucks the trend and pans out for us. We could sure use a big bodied heavy forechecker. Would be nice to get him signed and on the Moose this coming season. Hopefully with winning a championship there he's ready to take the next step.

 

[ps241]

He was a key player on an NCAA champ as a freshman. Most of the core players on that team were 2-3 years older. I watched a few of the games and he played at a very fast pace, making quick puck decisions. He's obviously developed substantially over the past year or two. He needs to gain strength to play that style at the NHL level, but he fits Arniel's style to a tee. Seems to have a pretty solid floor as a mid- or bottom-6 RW, considering his size and style of play, and showing that he could be a key cog in a top NCAA team.

Yeah seems to have developed well. We've taken a few of these bigger kids with upside in the mid rounds like Stallard, Julien, Virtanen, Nikkanen, Torgersson that have looked early on to be good pickups and then just can't translate at the next level.

I'm hoping he finally bucks the trend and pans out for us. We could sure use a big bodied heavy forechecker. Would be nice to get him signed and on the Moose this coming season. Hopefully with winning a championship there he's ready to take the next step.

Bit of insomnia here at 3:48 in the morning so I found myself clicking on Zach Nehring thread

I have to admit this guy had fallen off my radar after his abysmal D+ 1 season in Sioux Falls I had kind of written him off. I remember thinking he was a project on his draft day and this is a really pleasant surprise that he moved up a league, joined the eventual national champs, and took a big step forward in his development. I remember on draft day the concerns with him were his feet but its good to hear after two season his pace has picked up. Just needs to keep adding muscle to his frame and growing his game.

Good article there Whileee and this quote stood out:

Now Nehring and the Broncos have to do it all over again next season with every school in the country gunning for them as the national champs. Ferschweiler mentioned one thing that he wants to see from the 20-year-old starting in the fall.

He stretched out early, he’s 6'5, he can put on some weight and to play in the National Hockey League, he's gonna have to build his body, which I just talked to him about and he's willing to put in the work,” said Ferschweiler.

“I just talked to him about investing in himself and his future. He's gonna be a great college hockey player if he doesn't do one other thing. He already is, but our job now is to prepare him for the Winnipeg Jets and his future in pro hockey.”

I liked how his coach spoke about his work ethic on and off the ice. It would be nice at some point in the future to add a 6’5” RH power forward that goes hard to the net to our bottom six.

 

[lanky]

Would be wonderful if Nehring (6'5 RW), Julien (6'4 C) and Walton (6'6 LW) all found their way to the Jets lineup.

 

[Gil Fisher]

Would be wonderful if Nehring (6'5 RW), Julien (6'4 C) and Walton (6'6 LW) all found their way to the Jets lineup.

Nice Moose line in 2026.

 

[Whileee]

Would be wonderful if Nehring (6'5 RW), Julien (6'4 C) and Walton (6'6 LW) all found their way to the Jets lineup.

Joining 6'5" Barron. Barlow and He aren't as big, but they don't mind playing in the harder areas.

 

[Whileee]

Bit of insomnia here at 3:48 in the morning so I found myself clicking on Zach Nehring thread

I have to admit this guy had fallen off my radar after his abysmal D+ 1 season in Sioux Falls I had kind of written him off. I remember thinking he was a project on his draft day and this is a really pleasant surprise that he moved up a league, joined the eventual national champs, and took a big step forward in his development. I remember on draft day the concerns with him were his feet but its good to hear after two season his pace has picked up. Just needs to keep adding muscle to his frame and growing his game.

Good article there Whileee and this quote stood out:

Now Nehring and the Broncos have to do it all over again next season with every school in the country gunning for them as the national champs. Ferschweiler mentioned one thing that he wants to see from the 20-year-old starting in the fall.

He stretched out early, he’s 6'5, he can put on some weight and to play in the National Hockey League, he's gonna have to build his body, which I just talked to him about and he's willing to put in the work,” said Ferschweiler.

“I just talked to him about investing in himself and his future. He's gonna be a great college hockey player if he doesn't do one other thing. He already is, but our job now is to prepare him for the Winnipeg Jets and his future in pro hockey.”

I liked how his coach spoke about his work ethic on and off the ice. It would be nice at some point in the future to add a 6’5” RH power forward that goes hard to the net to our bottom six.

Yes, and encouraging article. Though he was a freshman, he really looked like he had good command of the NCAA game last season, including in the playoffs and final tournament. If he gains strength and maybe gets a bit faster, I think he could be a very good middle-6 RW.

I do wonder whether having a few of these later picks developing well (He, Walton, Nehring) might give the Jets a bit of latitude to look at trades for some of their higher-ranked prospects (like Lambert, Chibrikov, Barlow). Barron and Kupari are also going to be in the mix for sustained roles, and maybe even moving up the roster. Obviously, not all of them will have space on the Jets' roster in the foreseeable future. I guess it really depends on how quickly they might make an impact.