Ht/Wt: 6' 3"/200 lbs
Position: C/LW
Team: Sarnia (OHL)

Pavel Zacha's Player Profile

Chris Edwards - Central Scouting: "He's got high-end skill and is an excellent competitor; he plays an excellent two-way game. He's physical and solid on his skates and can separate guys from the puck."

Adam Kimelman of NHL.com (Apr.20th): "The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Czech center adjusted well in his first North American season. A dynamic offensive talent who knows how to use his size and strength to his advantage. He would also fill an organizational need for a second-line center."

Mike Morreale of NHL.com (Apr.20th): "The Czech Republic native is relentless on the puck and creates scoring chances for teammates with his strength and smart decisions. He had 16 goals, 34 points and a plus-5 rating in 37 games. He exhibited good puck control, a strong work ethic and a great shot. He also played for the Czech Republic at the 2015 WJC."

Peter Harling (Apr. 3rd): Zacha is yet another big franchise type centre ranked in the top ten for the 2015 NHL draft. Zacha has the chance to be the highest drafted Czech player since Jakub Voracek was selected 7th overall in 2007. The Sting have been churning out first round picks in recent drafts with the likes of Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Nikolai Goldobin and now Pavel Zacha with another potential first overall coming in 2016 in Jakob Chychrun.

Perhaps Zacha would have been ranked slightly higher if he had played more than 37 regular season games, but he missed games due to injuries, suspensions, and the World Juniors. In his 37 games played he managed to produce 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points, almost a point per game pace. At the World Juniors he had only one goal and one assist in five games, while the production wasn’t necessarily there his play was still impressive.

Zacha is perhaps the most NHL ready centre after McDavid and Eichel as he is physically ready to play at the pro level. Zacha plays somewhat of a power game using his size to drive to the net and hold off defenders. He plays a physically aggressive style as evident in his two suspensions. Zacha is not afraid to go into the greasy areas and dig out pucks for himself, rather than rely on teammates to do the dirty work for him. He is an offensively dynamic player with a hard shot and a quick release. A high energy player with an equally high compete level that could graduate to the NHL next season.

Curtis Joe of EliteProspects: Pavel Zacha is an offensively dynamic center with the size, speed, and skill to make a significant impact on the game. He can play physical, but is at his best when using his high-end offensive abilities, such as his shot, stickhandling, and footspeed, to generate numbers in the opposition's end of the ice. All-in-all, Zacha is a lethal weapon that can be depended upon to create, and finish, dangerous scoring chances whenever he is on the ice.

Pavel Zacha Videos

Pavel Zacha First OHL Goal vs Saginaw (10/10/14)


Pavel Zacha Nice Wrist Shot Goal vs Belleville (10/19/14)


Pavel Zacha - Shift by Shift


Pavel Zacha Scores Winning Goal in Czech Rep. vs Russia (4-1) - WJC2015 Slow motion



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