Connor Zary (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — A) Forward
Neutral Zone NHL’s Donald Godreau, June 2020: Zary might be the most complete draft eligible forward in the WHL. He plays a massive role for his team as their top center, and is the first guy over the boards for penalty kills and power play opportunities. While it’s hard to find any glaring weaknesses in his game, there aren’t too many elite aspects to his game. His skating is good. He has a galloping stride and generates lots of speed out of his initial steps, but isn’t terribly light on his feet. He is very strong on his skates. He plays with a wide base, engages well along the boards and in the corners, and is hard to knock off the puck or deter from getting to an area when he wants to. He is good on his edges, he can play with elusiveness in the open ice, though it seems to us that he’d rather be a more straight line player. His straight line speed is excellent. He will blow past flat footed defenders quickly, and he recognizes instantly when he has a step on a defender and exploits them. His shot is heavy, his release is quick, and he shows really good puck control in tight on goalies. He has a scoring touch around the net. On the power play he likes to bait defenders with an exaggerated shot build up, only to dish off to teammates. He sends accurate passes all around the ice, and can thread pucks through tight seams with his strong hands and good vision. On the penalty kill he plays discipline with strong positioning and an active stick. He tries to force opponents into traps and bad areas with his body positioning and good stick positioning. Zary can make an impact at both ends of the ice with his play, and is a huge reason for his teams turn around over the past two years. He is a vocal leader on the ice, he plays smart, and communicates well. He leads by example. Grade: A
Neutral Zone’s Director od U.S. Scouting Brian Murphy, March 2020: It’s easy to see why Connor is such a highly touted National Hockey League prospect. He is obviously skilled and has a great stride, but we feel his brain is what sets him apart. He has no panic button and can slow the play down or speed it up when necessary. He reads defender’s gaps very well and his graceful change of speeds keeps the defenders off balance. Connor is a force on the cycle while protecting the puck, but he also finds the quiet areas without drawing attention to himself. He is counted on to play in all situations and we feel this will continue in professional hockey. He handles poor passes smoothly and makes crisp passes without dusting the puck off. Connor is a high end prospect with a bright future.
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s scouting report, March 2020: (1) Brain – When on a line rush he reads and controls the defender’s gaps with changes of speeds and changing attacking angles. He shows an elite understanding of generating scoring opportunities through give and goes while on an offensive zone cycle. Connor plays every situation with his head up and his anticipation is as good as any player in this year’s draft. (2)Vision & Poise – Connor can make plays in all three zones and create scoring opportunities out of thin air. (3) Feet – He is strong, explosive and excellent edge work. (4) Compete & Effort – Connor is a point producer who works both ends of the rink. We do not think he cheats on 50-50 pucks. (5) Contact or Physicality – Connor is not a banger and we would not expect him to turn into one. However, he does initiate contact while protecting the puck and is very strong while doing so. (6) Release – He can fire a puck after receiving any type of pass, can shoot with authority while his feet are moving and has scorer’s accuracy. (7) One Timer Ability – Again, Connor does not need a perfect pass to rip a bullet. He has an expended shooting area and can put the puck where he wants it. (8) Body Language – He expects to score and generate scoring chances. (9) Special Teams – Connor is a first unit power play guy. His first touch is smooth, his vision and ability to put passes through tight areas is elite. His shot makes him multidimensional and unpredictable. (10) Intangibles – As a late 2001 Connor is finishing his third full season in the Western Hockey League. He has been a major contributor in all three and has been counted on to play in every type of situation imaginable. Whoever drafts Connor is getting a player who is very close to being an NHL regular.