His father was a Queen’s University quarterback, he loves to score goals and he’s got power to rival Chris Kreider. Here’s all you need to know about 2015 NHL Draft prospect Zachary Senyshyn.
Age on June 26: 18
Current Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Position: Right wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 192 pounds
From: Nepean, Ont.
Twitter: @ZachSenyshyn
NHL Central Scouting Rank (North America): 38th
Marek’s Take: At 17 he was the best athlete on a stacked Sault Ste. Marie team (has a sprinter’s physique). Great physical gifts and blazing speed. Played on every line with the Greyhounds and found good chemistry with fellow draft-eligible teammate Blake Speers. Is great off the rush but needs to develop other ways to score. NHL Comparable: Chris Kreider
He’s got the power of Chris Kreider
Power, strength, speed, scoring ability. For all these reasons, Senyshyn is drawing comparisons to New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider. And he must appreciate those comparisons, because Senyshyn published this clip on Instagram, in which he’s “re-makes” the ridiculous pool jump Kreider made famous.
Who did it better?
Speed and offence
Senyshyn told Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News that he tries to model his game after Colorado’s Matt Duchene because of his high pace and the way he gets creative on offence.
As with most players his age, Senyshyn has to improve on the defensive side of the puck, but what he’s bringing on offence is what makes him such an intriguing prospect. With 26 goals in 66 regular season games (45 points), he was second in OHL rookie scoring to Alex DeBrincat, a 2016 draft eligible player who lined up with Connor McDavid.
His dad was a quarterback for Queen’s University
Senyshyn’s father, Paul, was a Canadian University QB in the late-1980s and had a wide receiver who went on to have a successful career in the CFL. Senyshyn threw to Jock Climie, who went on to set a Gaels receiving yards record in 1988.
“It’s helped me a lot, just him being a high-level athlete,” Zachary Senyshyn told Yahoo’s Buzzing the Net. “He’s been able to give me lots of guidance throughout all my days in sports.”
His point totals weren’t huge, but he finished strong
So, 45 points in a 66-game season isn’t a huge number for a player whose strength is supposed to be on offence. But there are two things to keep in mind about Senyshyn’s year: 1. He was an OHL rookie, having played for the CCHL’s Smith Falls Bears the year before, and 2. He rebounded from a fairly slow start.
Through his first 22 games, Senyshyn had only nine points, five of which were goals, but his game quickly took off. In 10 December games, Senyshyn had six goals and 13 points to set him up for a nice second half of the season. In his final 42 games, Senyshyn had 36 points, which is a much more impressive number that teams will be paying attention to.
