Seventh Round (#210 Overall): Zach Trotman
15 picks after selecting Russian blueliner Maxim Chudinov, the Bruins had their final selection in the 2010 NHL Entry draft. With their final pick, they decided to go with Lake Superior State University defenseman Zach Trotman. Hockey’s Future had this to say about the collegiate defenseman:
“Trotman is a defensive defenseman with size and toughness. He is strong on his skates, possesses some good foot speed and transitions well. While Trotman may not score many points, he does have offensive potential and isn’t afraid to jump up into plays.”
Trotman, in his first season at the collegiate level and his draft year, played 36 games with 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. The next two years he remained with Lake Superior State, playing in a combined 78 games with 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points.
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At the end of the 2011-12 college season, Trotman joined the Providence Bruins for 9 games, recording a goal and 2 assists for 3 points. In the 2012-13 season, he played his first year of professional hockey in the AHL with Providence. He played 48 games with 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points. He played another 4 playoff games but didn’t record a single point in them.
In the 2013-14 season, Trotman played 53 games with Providence with 8 goals and 16 assists for 24 points. His increased offensive production and continuous improvement in the defensive zone allowed Trotman to get an NHL call-up to the Boston Bruins squad. He played two games at the next level but failed to record any points.
That led to the Boston Bruins sending him back to Providence. There, he played an additional 8 playoff games with 4 assists.
In the 2014-15 season, Trotman started and played 40 games with Providence, recording 2 goals and 11 assists for 13 points. He got called up yet again, but this time played in 27 NHL games, posting a goal and 4 assists for 5 points. That, yet again, wasn’t enough to stick in the NHL, going back to Providence for the playoffs. There he played 5 games with just one goal.
In 2015-16, Trotman only played with the Boston Bruins in the NHL. However, he played just 38 games with 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points. He did not play in the postseason that year.
In 2016, Trotman signed a contract with the Los Angeles Kings. That season, he played just 9 games with their AHL affiliate, Ontario Reign. He registered just 2 assists in that span.
In 2017, he signed another contract, this time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Starting in the AHL again, he played with anger. He played 49 games with 7 goals and 10 assists for 17 points with Wilkes-Barre Scranton. That performance warranted a long-awaited NHL stint with Pittsburgh. That stint lasted 3 games, where he didn’t post a single point. He was sent back to Wilkes-Barre where he played 3 AHL playoff games with no points.
In 2018-19 he started the year in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre again. Playing 24 games there, he put up a goal and 4 assists for 5 points. It was enough to warrant another call-up to Pittsburgh, where he played 13 games with just one assist. Trotman remains with the Penguins today.