| Zach Filak | Sarnia Sting | OHL | L | C | 6’2″ | 185 | Sarnia Sting | 2020 | Northville, MI | 2004 | 2022-2023: Free Agent 2021-2022: C+ |
OHL: Sarnia vs Erie, January 8, 2023: Filak totaled 14:52 in ice time including 1:06 while on the power play and 0:57 while shorthanded. The left shot center has an NHL frame and he looked like he had more jump in his stride tonight. In the defensive zone he played with his head on a swivel communicating with is teammates. There were a few times when he recognized a defensive breakdown by his weakside defender and he sprinted to the net front while lifting the opposing forward’s stick. After making the net front defensive plays Filak moved his feet to join the offense and be a passing option. During offensive neutral zone transition he showed patient support while keeping his stick blade always ready to receive the pass. His first touch was soft on both his forehand and backhand and we liked that he moved the puck quickly to his teammate without needing to over handle it. Filak had a fluky primary assist on Sarnia’s forth goal, but the play was made earlier in the shift when he jumped a neutral zone pass to step up on the Erie center which caused a turnover at the Erie blueline. Again his defensive awareness away from the puck led to offense. He finished the night even with 1 primary assist, 0 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity off a one-timer as the high man on a line rush that went high and wide, 4/11 on face-offs, 1 hit, 6 giveaways, 4 takeaways and he won 44% of his 9 puck battles. He also had 4 PIMs, two for knocking the stick out of a defender’s hands while Sarnia was on a power play and two more for shooting the puck after the whistle. After the whistle on both penalties Filak was involved in scrums. The gloves never came off, but in both cases they should have.
OHL: Sarnia vs Windsor, November 18, 2022: Filak totaled 14:56 in ice time including 0:16 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. The left shot primarily played right wing. He looked very comfortable handling passes with his backhand and he showed puck poise while locating the activating weakside defenseman. On a zone entry midway through the first Filak attacked through the right dot-lane and made a nifty 10′ backhand sauce pass to his middle drive. We’re not sure if playing the wing freed up his defensive responsibilities allowing him to be more physical, but we liked the aggression he showed while driving opposing players into the walls. He finished the night even with 0 points, 0 shots, 0/1 on face-offs, 3 hits, received 2 hard hits, 8 giveaways, 2 takeaways and he won 36% of his 22 puck battles.
OHL: Sarnia vs Windsor, October 1, 2022: Filak totaled 17:00 in ice time including 2:04 while on the power play and 0:49 while shorthanded. Although his unit failed to set up on the power play he was positioned at the left flank or left point depending on where the zone entry occurred. We feel his length is a real asset to the penalty kill unit, but to be a killer in professional hockey we would like to see a more detailed stick and skating in straight lines. Filak did have one opportunity to clear the zone with his backhand and he showed the awareness to establish body position while protecting the puck and then air mailed the puck to get the clear. Offensively he consistently showed the strength to shield the puck while keeping his eyes up looking to make a play. We would like to see him utilize his size and reach by attacking the net front more consistently after making a play on the cycle, but he did not just throw the puck away when facing adversity. He finished the game even with 0 points, 0 shots, 10/15 on face-offs, 0 hits, received 2 hard hits, had 1 shot blocked, 4 giveaways, 1 takeaway and he won 90% of 10 puck battles.
Neutral Zone NHL, July 4, 2022: Why an NHL pick, he is a strong heady two-way forward who can impact the game in all three zones. He has an NHL frame to continue building on. Through midget hockey, he has never been a big point producer, but he had twenty-two points in 62 OHL games during 2021/22. Why not an NHL Pick, he won 42% of his puck battles. He scored 10 goals on 127 total shots attempted in 2021/22. He is a willing net-front presence who scored five power-play goals, but we feel that number can rise if he can continue developing his hand-eye coordination as he deflected ten power-play point shots wide.
Neutral Zone’s Director of Scouting Brendan Collins: Filak slid to the 9th round in last year’s OHL Draft(2020) but only because he was committed to Michigan State at the time; he has since signed with the Sarnia Sting who got him for a bargain at that stage in the draft. He’s a strong, two-way forward who made as many plays in his defensive zone as he did in the offensive zone. He’s hard on the puck, he wins 50/50 pucks and works the cycle well.
USA Hockey’s Select 17’s, July 14, 2021: Filak was another highly regarded player here who played well in our opinion as we named him to our All-Star team. However, he did not get the call from USA hockey. He is still highly regarded in our book and while it wasn’t his very best, it was better than most. He scored four goals in four games and added an assist. He lived near the net and scored one goal on a pretty redirect. He scored another tip goal on the power play and another in the same game on a wicked shot up under the bar preceded by a really quick release. He is smooth, confident and can score. He moved well in the neutral zone to get open and made a nice open ice hit in the neutral zone. He outworked opponents to pucks and forechecked hard. He had one bad giveaway in a tie game as he tried to do too much. He did not have a formal season as Zach plays in the OHL for Sarnia. He looked pretty good for a player with no real game time. He was involved in a lot of ways. Grade: B+
Some standout forwards from the 2019 Nationals & how they’ve developed over the past 12 months, April 9, 2020: The biggest standout feature to Filak’s game is how utterly difficult it is to remove him from the puck. He uses his body really well to shield the puck, and adding his foot and hand quickness into the equation and he is a beast puck possession player. Excellent hands and creativity. He uses these abilities to create space well and buy himself time to make plays and exploit open ice. Excellent reads and awareness. He has a great feel for the game and is very smart. Excellent two-way game.
MAHA Bantam Festival 2004s< April 19, 2020: Zachary has good size around 5’11 who plays a physical game and will drive to the net to make it difficult for the defenders. He has quick hands along with being a strong skater makes him an effective player. He has a quick release as he scored a nice goal coming down the wing. He also set up his teammates for 2 goals in the same game. He has great skill and the combination of size makes him an effective player.
HPHL U16 Showcase; Woodridge, IL, December 6, 2019: The biggest standout feature to Filak’s game is how utterly difficult it is to remove him from the puck. He uses his body really well to shield the puck, and adding his foot and hand quickness into the equation and he is a beast puck possession player. Excellent hands and creativity. He uses these abilities to create space well and buy himself time to make plays and exploit open ice. Excellent reads and awareness. He has a great feel for the game and is very smart. Excellent two-way game. Grade: A
MAHA U16 Showcase. Troy, MI, September 16, 2019: Zach is a big, strong player who gets in on the forecheck to cause turnovers by using his body. He does a great job of cycling by protecting the puck and using cut backs to beat the defender. He uses his teammates effectively by moving the puck quickly and getting himself open in scoring areas. He was a little quiet on the weekend but we do see him be more effective as the season goes along. College: Michigan St.
USA Hockey Select 15’s, August 24, 2019: Filak is a tall (looked taller than listed) player who looked silky/smooth with possession. His hands are soft and he played with his head up. His skating must tighten up a bit as he is long and still pretty thin. As he gets stronger, he will get more from his stride and become a faster and more balanced skater. He is fine now but when he got tired his feet became sloppy. He is still raw with tremendous upside. We liked that he was willing to play with a physical edge. He hit on the forecheck and created turnovers. Made a couple big hits that got the bench going. He backchecked hard and stayed on the correct side of the puck. He made a lot of plays here. His offensive instincts are excellent and he moved the puck quickly when called for but also help, showed poise and waited for plays to develop. Took his ice and dished and played well in every situation. Talented played with a high ceiling. Finished with six points. Grade: A- College: Michigan State
MAHA Festival 2004s, June 30, 2019: Zachary is a big kid who uses his size and reach to his advantage. He has the patience with the puck and the vision to see the ice as he sets his teammates for scoring opportunities. He is a great skater with the ability to beat defenders along with his stick handling skills. He made a nice pass off the cycle to his teammate in the slot for a goal. In the games we watched he didn’t really produce but he did create opportunities.
U16 USA Hockey Nationals, May 14, 2019: Filak is an ’04 playing up a level and not only fits in but excels. He’s a tall, long, raw forward who has high hockey IQ and awareness. He’s still growing into his frame so his footwork needs time to develop and his hands are good but not great. However, he has a long reach, he protects the puck very well and showed some bite along the wall and in front of his own net protecting his goalie. He sees the ice very well, he showed some poise and vision and has a maturity and presence beyond his years. High ceiling prospect who is only scratching the surface ending the week with 3 assists in 3 games. Would like to see him shoot the puck more and be more assertive but for an ’04 to be one of the best players on the ice in all three games we watched is pretty impressive. College: Michigan State
HPHL 16U Showcase, December 10, 2018: Filak shows very well for himself being a younger player on the ice compared to his peers. Good confidence and poise with the puck, not afraid to try and make plays and take chances. Long, strong stride and good feet, good hands. Very high offensive upside in addition to what he can do currently. We look forward to tracking his development and progress as the season moves along. Grade: B+
U15/U16: HPHL Illinois Showcase:, November 29, 2018: Hard to imagine Zach playing at the Bantam Major level as he was effective here against much older players. Solid size and strength help him to adjust to the higher paced physical game. He was confident with the puck on his stick and showed no panic. Protected pucks in the offensive zone and showed he has the skill to compete with the older players. He has the skating and the pucks skills to score at the higher level. As the game slows down for him throughout the year, he should improve his offensive output.
U16: USHL Fall Classic, October 29, 2018: Zach was very impressive playing against much older players and a strong player pool in this tournament. He has size for his age, which is helping his transition. He also displayed nice feet and puck skills to go along with the size. He stuck his nose into the physical areas and didn’t back down. Showed the ability to make some plays on the rush with his reach and puck skills. A lot of potential in his game as he gains experience and the game slows down for him.
HPHL/Beast Showcase U16, October 6, 2018: Long and lanky forward that skates hard and plays smart. Another high-end 2004 with a ton of upside. He is at his best on the Power Play when given space. Electric puck skills and has great vision to see passing lanes. Slick and can break down defenders in tight space or off the rush. Grade: B+
STX Combine, August 20, 2018: Filak plays with a major chip on his shoulder. Very aggressive, chippy, gets under opponents’ skin. Never passes up a chance to finish a check and likes to give a little extra when the opportunity presents itself. Very hard on the puck and wins a lot of battles. Displayed good hands and decent playmaking ability. There is probably more where that came from so we would like to see more of it.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images