Regardless of the failures of Team USA at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, it was quite the week for Will Zellers. The University of North Dakota forward started this month not on the Team USA preliminary roster, stole a spot at the camp late, made the team as an extra forward/fourth-liner, and then played the quarter-final matchup on the first line against fellow Boston Bruins prospect James Hagens.
The manner in which Zellers forced his way onto the team was something to behold. He didn't just get onto the first line through other players' failures; he forced his way on there with five goals in the team's first four games, including three game-winning goals. In the quarter-final loss to Finland, Zellers had a crucial forecheck that led to an assist on the game-tying goal and added six shots, with a couple coming off beautiful dishes from Hagens.
Zellers' play to tie the game for the USA is an example of why his game has gone from just a scoring threat to a well-rounded forward. He not only has a lethal shot, but he can also put himself into good positions in the offensive zone and is equally tenacious to win puck battles and help out at the defensive end. Something that wasn't in his game when the Colorado Avalanche traded him.
Call it blind luck from the Bruins' front office or a vision of what Zellers' game would become, but the trade is looking like a massive win for Boston. There are already comparisons of Zellers' game to a light version of Brandon Hagel, who was a relative no-name before forcing his way onto Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympic rosters.
Bruins-themed first line thrives while Team USA falls short in WJC Quarter-Finals
For some reason, despite leading the tournament in scoring through the quarter-finals, head coach Bob Motzko still didn't have a ton of trust in Zellers. The forward forced his way onto the first line and a bulk of powerplay time, but his absence in the three-on-three overtime was notable once Team Finland scored the game-winner.
Zellers finished the tournament with eight points, while Hagens finished with seven. While last year's seventh overall pick looked like a superstar at times, there were some parts of the tournament where people questioned his ability to be a game-breaker. Nevertheless, he and Zellers led Team USA in points at one and two, with the next closest being Brodie Ziemer with six.
Zellers, Hagens, and Ziemer formed the new-look first line in the quarter-finals, and were also the three players chosen as Team USA's top players at the tournament. Not bad for a player whom the staff didn't think was even worthy of a chance to come to their training camp at first.