C/LW Pavel Zacha - Sarnia Sting, OHL (2015, 6th, NJD)

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So?

It's 1 more weapon for teams to worry about instead of having all the focus in them.

It also takes away premium ice time from him. Zacha is probably Sarnia's best defensive forward so with a guy like Konecny running the show offensively, the coach can use Zacha more in defensive situations.

Zacha's PPG went down since Konecny joined Sarnia.
 
I am surprised that his production didn't jump when Konecny joined Sarnia.

Zac's PPG 1.18
Konecny's PPG 1.7 with Sarnia

They don't play together and Zacha has had some injury issues.

I'm not concerned about his development at all. The coaching staff thought he was extremely close to NHL ready last year, and he's shown a big improvement over what he did last year.

Take a look at some of his goals, he's clapping shots that beat goalies clean from 35 feet out. His consistency is something I'd like to see improved, but again, he's only 19 years old. I'm sure with more experience and good coaching he'll turn into a high end two-way 2nd line sniper.

EDIT: As I post this, he caps off a three point night. Let's not pretend 61 points in 50 games and a 0.58 GPG pace is poor.
 
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Production is poor but not awful but he's been trained more for European league play than the CHL. If he were a Canadian kid who grew up playing here there'd be more cause for concern.

More of a wait and see than a red flag. If he struggles in the AHL/NHL that would be a worse sign than normal though.
 
Didn't love the pick with Barzal, Connor and Rantanen on the board, but Zacha will be fine. Some guys can't carry the scoring load alone and thrive when surrounded by elite talent. He has every tool and prototypical size/speed. I think he ends up being a solid pick, 40-50 pt two-way guy. Someone like Frolik/Nielson/Silfverberg
 
They don't play together and Zacha has had some injury issues.

I'm not concerned about his development at all. The coaching staff thought he was extremely close to NHL ready last year, and he's shown a big improvement over what he did last year.

Take a look at some of his goals, he's clapping shots that beat goalies clean from 35 feet out. His consistency is something I'd like to see improved, but again, he's only 19 years old. I'm sure with more experience and good coaching he'll turn into a high end two-way 2nd line sniper.

EDIT: As I post this, he caps off a three point night. Let's not pretend 61 points in 50 games and a 0.58 GPG pace is poor.

It's not great.

He's 20th in the league in PrimP/G (28th in ES PrimP/G). That's pretty underwhelming production for a physically big kid who just got drafted 6th OA.
 
I think he ends up like Benoit Pouliot. He becomes a solid NHL player in a lesser role than expected. And doesnt live up to the expectations of a 6th ovr pick.
 
It's not great.

He's 20th in the league in PrimP/G (28th in ES PrimP/G). That's pretty underwhelming production for a physically big kid who just got drafted 6th OA.
Yeah, he entered todays game behind 2nd rounders like Bracco and Fischer and just slightly ahead of Dante Salituro and Crouse. The only 1st rounders from the 2015 class in the OHL he is outproducing are Crouse and Senyshen (and he has a better gpg).
 
I could probably count the number of people in this threat who have actually watched Zacha play on one hand. Stat watch all you want, we'll see what happens when he makes the jump.
 
I could probably count the number of people in this threat who have actually watched Zacha play on one hand. Stat watch all you want, we'll see what happens when he makes the jump.

Well, I was the one who bumped the thread claiming that I believe he's a tools but no toolbox type of guy. I see him atleast once a week and his game is good but his contribution in the offensive zone leaves something to be desired almost every viewing.
 
I could probably count the number of people in this threat who have actually watched Zacha play on one hand. Stat watch all you want, we'll see what happens when he makes the jump.
We'll I've watched him multiple times between the WJC's and playing for Sarnia (sports package with Rogers gets me about 90% of OHL games), and the stats reflect his offensive ability. Good smart player, but seems to lack that goal scoring instinct. I'd assume a decent amount of this thread has seen him atleast once considering he has been to 3 WJC's.
 
He was definitely hurt. Sustained an injury at the WJC, was probably playing thru it. Then he got a concussion that allowed him to rest his body...since 5g, 5a in 6 games
 
okay let's not act like he was suppose to go in the 2nd round or something.

http://www.tsn.ca/mcdavid-tops-mckenzie-s-final-draft-ranking-1.300634

he went right around where he was suppose to go, the top 10.

...and it's been less than a year since the draft and anyone calling any pick bad or crazy at this point is ignorant or trolling. If in 3-5 years from now he hasn't worked out and others around him have, everyone will happily concede it was a bad pick. It could easily go the other way as well at this point though.
 
Crazy that he went 6th overall. Almost as crazy as the Jessiman pick :(

ahahahahaha c'mon :laugh:

Jessiman was among the worst draft picks of all time considering how great the 2003 draft was. Zacha has a long, long, long way to go before he's even in the same universe. Maybe we can give him like at least a full year from being drafted?
 
Very dissapointing season for zacha, on a pick that NJ had to hit a home run with.
Honestly never understood the hype on zacha...the stats have never been there. And its very hard for players to become offensive producers in the NHL if that's never been their trait in junior.
Looks like a 35-40 point, extremely responsible 3rd line guy.
Going into the NHL he's going to see a lot more players closer to his size too. Something that doesn't bode well for him.
And as a London STH..I've seen him play lots.
 
Honestly all I see in this thread are people crapping on Zacha for his poor production, and inferring that he won't score much in the NHL because he isn't producing elite numbers in the CHL. That's the absolute worst way to judge a player's potential.

We're talking about a player that is huge (6'3, 210lbs) and loves throwing his weight around. He's a physically punishing forward that other players hate having to play against. He's got a shot that has enough velocity on it to beat goalies clean from far out, and is able to unleash a one timer that could make him a dangerous weapon on the powerplay. He's also a terrific skater, not just for his size but in general. It'll be really hard to stop this guy coming down the wing, especially considering he could be 6'3, 225lbs when he fills out. His speed and size also makes him a tough player to play against defensively. He's the type of player that you can throw out there against smaller skill players and watch him dominate them physically. In summary he's the total package. His offensive potential isn't as high as his draft position may suggest, but his all-around upside is absolutely top 10 quality.
 
Honestly all I see in this thread are people crapping on Zacha for his poor production, and inferring that he won't score much in the NHL because he isn't producing elite numbers in the CHL. That's the absolute worst way to judge a player's potential.

We're talking about a player that is huge (6'3, 210lbs) and loves throwing his weight around. He's a physically punishing forward that other players hate having to play against. He's got a shot that has enough velocity on it to beat goalies clean from far out, and is able to unleash a one timer that could make him a dangerous weapon on the powerplay. He's also a terrific skater, not just for his size but in general. It'll be really hard to stop this guy coming down the wing, especially considering he could be 6'3, 225lbs when he fills out. His speed and size also makes him a tough player to play against defensively. He's the type of player that you can throw out there against smaller skill players and watch him dominate them physically. In summary he's the total package. His offensive potential isn't as high as his draft position may suggest, but his all-around upside is absolutely top 10 quality.
Except he should be able to dominate using that size and skill at the CHL level.
 
He might not be putting up the numbers expected, but you can definitely tell this guy's a really intelligent player. Don't think we've seen enough of him to be bashing the Devils for using a high pick on him yet. I expect him to be a really good player in the future.
 
Except he should be able to dominate using that size and skill at the CHL level.

And at times he has. He struggles with consistency but that's not the end of the world and it certainly doesn't limit his potential as much as some people are saying in this thread. He has issues with keeping his emotions in check and takes a ton of penalties as a result, and that can also lend a hand to his struggles with consistency.

The NHL game is completely different than the CHL one and just because he's not taking advantage of 16-19 year olds on a nightly basis doesn't mean anything to me. Once he gets to the NHL, is coached by our NHL staff that has a good track record of helping young guys develop in the past, then that should help.

And also a side note of "lol" to all the stat-watchers here just ******** on the kid :laugh:
 
Are we going to ignore the injuries? Including a concussion.

Since getting the clean bill of health, he has 5g 5a in 6 games...
 
ahahahahaha c'mon :laugh:

Jessiman was among the worst draft picks of all time considering how great the 2003 draft was. Zacha has a long, long, long way to go before he's even in the same universe. Maybe we can give him like at least a full year from being drafted?

I feel like the 03 draft is slightly overrated. 5 years ago, of course it looked great. But since then, the majority of top talent from that draft has fallen off a cliff. Of course there are still stars, but one wonders about the staying power of that draft as a whole, especially when compared to the 79 draft year that was oozing Hall of Fame talent. I don't know that there is a lot of that in the 03 class
 
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