Boston Bruins fans and prospect experts around the league have been quick to circle Will Zellers as one of the reasons for the team's prospect pool resurgence. Zellers winning the most outstanding player award for the USHL made the trade deadline teardown feel even more justified, along with the acquisition of Fraser Minten and the ability to tank over the remaining month and a half and land James Hagens.
Zellers will now join the University of North Dakota for his freshman season, fresh off a 44-goal, 27-assist performance over 52 games with the Green Bay Gamblers. Winning the USHL Player of the Year doesn't automatically guarantee success at the next level, but we can use those past winners to project what Zellers might do in 2025-26 and give us more realistic expectations.
Mac Swanson was the 2024 award winner, and he ironically, like Zellers, played his freshman season at North Dakota in 2024-25. Swanson also had a similar point output to Zellers, but was more of a playmaker than a scorer. Swanson went on to record two goals and 16 assists in his freshman year without missing a game.
For every Mac Swanson, you have a Macklin Celebrini, who took home the award in 2023. He went on to the Hobey Baker Award in his one-and-done freshman year, recording 32 goals and 32 assists with Boston University.
Will Zellers' expectations
I expect that Zellers will have a better year than Swanson, only because an elite goalscorer can translate better to the next level. Swanson is primarily a playmaker, which means he has to figure things out and then also hope that his linemates can put the puck in the net. For Zellers, he can take those matters into his own hands.
Ironically, Swanson could be a catalyst for Zellers' production in 2025-26. It wouldn't be surprising to see the pair on the same line at North Dakota, and Swanson's playmaking prowess could make Zellers look pretty good in his first year.
If that's the case, the expectation should be for Zellers to possibly reach double-digit goals. Like other prospects in the system, such as Dean Letourneau, Zellers is more of a project, and scoring 7-10 goals in his first year would put him well on his way to a successful college career and future contributions to the Bruins.