Olen Zellweger (born September 10, 2003) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 34th overall, by the Ducks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
| Olen Zellweger | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 10, 2003 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | Anaheim Ducks | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
34th overall, 2021 Anaheim Ducks | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Early life
editZellweger was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.[2]
Playing career
editZellweger was selected by the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the second round of 2018 prospect draft. He made his debut with the Silvertips at the age of 16 during the 2019–20 season. He played in 148 games for Everett registering 28 goals and 103 assists. He won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL defenceman of the year in 2021–22, marking the first time a Silvertips player won that trophy.[2]
He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Zellweger signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks on August 13, 2021.[3] Later that season he would make his professional debut with the San Diego Gulls, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Ducks, playing a single playoff game and recording one assist.
For the 2022–23 season, Zellweger returned to the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. On January 8, 2023, Zellweger, along with Ryan Hofer were traded to the Memorial Cup hosting Kamloops Blazers in exchange for four players and ten draft picks.[2][4] Though the Blazers were eliminated from the Memorial Cup, Zellweger was named to the tournament's all-star team.[5] He would go on to win his second Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy at the end of the year, the sixth Blazer to win the trophy.[6] He was named to the Canadian Hockey League's (CHL) First All-Star team alongside Blazers' teammate Logan Stankoven,[7] and CHL Defenceman of the Year.[8]
For the 2023–24 season, Zellweger again joined the San Diego Gulls, where he was named to the AHL All-Star Game. On January 23, 2024, Zellweger was called up to the Anaheim Ducks.[9] He made his debut that night recording one assist in a win over the Buffalo Sabres.[10]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Canada
| ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2022 Canada | |
| |
2023 Canada | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
| |
2021 United States | |
Zellweger made his international debut for Canada with the national under-18 team at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships. He registered eight points in Team Canada's seven-game tournament, which saw them defeat Russia for the gold medal.[11]
Six months later, Zellweger was selected to play for the national junior team at the initial 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships that took place beginning in December 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed until August, with all individual statistics retained but the team results erased.[12] In the new tournament in August of 2022, Zellweger played an important role in Team Canada's gold medal win, and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.[13] He rejoined Team Canada for the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which saw the national team win its twentieth World Junior gold.[14]
Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 NHL season, Zellweger accepted an invitation to make his senior national team debut at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.[15]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 58 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 11 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 55 | 14 | 64 | 78 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Everett Silvertips | WHL | 23 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 32 | 22 | 30 | 52 | 28 | 14 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24 | San Diego Gulls | AHL | 44 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 26 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 26 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Canada Red | U17 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Canada | U18 | 
|
7 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Canada | WJC |
|
7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Canada | WJC |
|
7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | 4th | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 26 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 10 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHL | |||
| CHL Defenceman of the Year | 2023 | [8] | |
| First All-Star Team | 2023 | [7] | |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2023 | [5] | |
| WHL | |||
| Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy | 2022, 2023 | [2][6] | |
| US First All-Star Team | 2022 | ||
| BC First All-Star Team | 2023 | ||
| International | |||
| World Junior Championship Media All-Star Team | 2022 | [13] | |
References
edit- ^ "Olen Zellweger". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ a b c d Patterson, Nick (January 8, 2023). "Tips blockbuster: Everett deals Zellweger, Hofer to Kamloops". The Herald. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Ducks Sign Draftees McTavish, Zellweger, Pastujov to Entry-Level Deals". Anaheim Ducks. August 13, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "Trade: Silvertips send Zellweger, Hofer to Kamloops for four players, ten picks". Everett Silvertips. January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b "AHL notebook: Clarke, Zellweger among top young defensemen". National Hockey League. December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Zellweger named recipient of Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL Defenceman of the Year for 2022-23 presented by RE/MAX". Kamloops Blazers. May 9, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Canadian Hockey League.
- ^ a b "Pats' Bedard, Svozil, Suzdalev named to CHL All-Star teams". Regina Leader-Post. June 1, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (June 3, 2023). "Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard makes history at CHL Awards". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Ducks Recall Defenseman Zellweger from San Diego". Anaheim Ducks. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Collins, Dillon (January 24, 2024). "Anaheim Ducks Prospect Olen Zellweger Makes NHL Debut. Earns First Point in Win Against Buffalo Sabres". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Zellweger Wins Gold at 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship". Canadian Hockey League. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Clipperton, Joshua (December 16, 2022). "'Driven, motivated' Zellweger looking for more hardware with Canada at world juniors". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Ian (December 12, 2022). "Canada finalizes world juniors roster with some NHL adds, surprising cuts". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Clipperton, Joshua (January 5, 2023). "Canada claims 20th World Junior gold after 3-2 win against Czechia". Global News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "Bedard, Celebrini highlight Canada's roster at the World Championship". TSN. May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database