‘Give him the puck’: Bruins’ Will Zellers is having an unstoppable World Juniors
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Most hockey fans didn’t know who Will Zellers was when he was the third piece of the deal that sent Charlie Coyle from the Boston Bruins to the Colorado Avalanche.
They do now.
Acquired by Boston as part of the Charlie Coyle trade last spring, Zellers has not only been one of the United States’ top players at the 2026 World Juniors, but he’s been one of the top players, period.
And he almost didn’t make the trek to St. Paul.
When USA Hockey unveiled its initial roster in early December, Zellers wasn’t on it. But at the time, the 19-year-old was on a heater with the University of North Dakota, registering 10 points during a 10-game stretch as a college freshman. North Dakota has 12 NHL prospects on their roster, but Zellers quickly emerged as one of the most impressive.
Zellers was added to the roster a few days later, although most still had the sense that he had a long road to secure one of the 14 forward spots. An outstanding pre-season, highlighted by two goals against Germany, plus an injury to Trevor Connelly, helped open doors for Zellers to make the final cut – and he did. That decision for USA to keep Zellers with the main group has truly paid off.
Zellers’ hot streak is still ongoing. He had a three-point opener against Germany, and managed to score the game-winning goal in three straight contests. With USA set to take on Finland during the quarterfinal today, Zellers finds himself sitting with seven total points – good for first on the team. By all accounts, Zellers has been the USA’s top player, despite playing more than 13 minutes just once in this tournament. He had a team-leading five shots against the Swedes and has goals in every contest so far. Very few players have been as consistent as him over the past week.
In short tournaments, confidence can be everything. And there’s no shortage of it here.
“I feel the more you play, the more you produce, and your confidence goes up a little bit,” Zellers said. “I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to produce early on in my college career and at this tournament. It’s helping my confidence, giving me confidence to play the game.”
Zellers was originally drafted 76th overall by the Avalanche after playing 2023-24 with the Shattuck St. Mary’s prep team He registered 57 goals and 111 points in 54 games to lead all American high schoolers.
But scouts wanted to see what he could do against tougher competition. Zellers made the move up to the USHL in 2024-25, where he registered a whopping 44 goals and 71 points with the Green Bay Gamblers. Still, scouts wanted more – many top NHL-drafted forwards don’t play in the USHL at 18.
And that’s where North Dakota came in. He’s up to 10 goals and 15 points in 18 games, which is good for third in team scoring.
“I feel stronger and faster,” Zellers said following USA’s comeback victory over Slovakia. “North Dakota has put a lot of weight on me. I can just feel my shots have gotten a lot (harder). The accuracy’s still there.”
The advanced analytics in St. Paul don’t lie – Zellers has been tremendous. According to InStat, Zellers has an even strength Corsi-for percentage of 70 percent. That means when he’s on the ice, the puck is in the offensive zone far more than not. Zellers also led all players in even-strength points with five.
Zellers loves to play with speed, beating opponents with quick hands and swift footwork. He has an excellent shot, and continues to add more speed and accuracy to it over time. Zellers has good hands and the skill to become an NHLer, but he needs to add a bit more muscle. So far, that hasn’t been an issue for him at the World Juniors.
The Minnesota native has undoubtedly had a happy homecoming. Few American players have gotten as many cheers during the pre-game festivities as Zellers. The speedy forward has clearly thrived in that environment, and with the games only starting to matter more, that’s a good thing.
“Give him the puck, he has the hot stick right now,” fellow Bruins prospect James Hagens said, with a smile. “He has a great shot, so to see him put the puck in the back of the net, it’s really good.”
The Americans will be without Max Plante for the game against the Finns, just like they were against Sweden. That means the scoring depth needs to come through again if the Americans are going to beat the Finns. But as long as Zellers keeps on performing at the level he is right now, we could be talking about another medal in USA’s short-term future.
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