Boston Bruins Zach Senyshyn Soars to 40 Goals in Just Second Junior Season

Zach Senyshyn has been working hard to prove doubters wrong ever since he was drafted unexpectedly with the lofty 15th overall pick by the Boston Bruins in last June’s NHL draft.

The right wing has quieted many cynics since by simply going out and scoring goals this season for Sault Ste. Marie in the Ontario Hockey League. He reached 41 with two more on Sunday, good for 6th in the OHL, and he's done it in just 61 games.

Senyshyn, who will turn 19 on March 30, has already eclipsed the 26 he potted last year by 15 with six games to go and is on pace for 45 as he plays on the top lines and in all situations for the Greyhounds after working up from a 4^th line spot last season. And if he gets his way he's going to sail right onto the Bruins in the fall instead of coming back for a final third year of juniors.

“I really, I want to make the Bruins next year,” he told the Boston Globe last month. “Last year it was a really exciting experience, but this next camp I’m definitely coming to make the Bruins and I’m going to do anything, anything I can to get there. I’m pretty determined.”

It's been a burning goal of his since the summer after the Bruins called his name significantly higher than draft pundits predicted. He was ranked 38^th and 39^th by Central Scouting and ISS in final prospect rankings. “I’m really thankful that Boston took that chance on me and I’m really itching to prove them right in taking me in that position,” he told the Ottawa Citizen in July.

Bruins scouts and management admitted they took Senyshyn higher than projected, but were so enamored with his “world class speed” and what he could do flying down the right wing that they didn’t want to risk waiting until the second round to see if he was still there. Senyshyn had also finished third in voting for Best Skater of the Western Conference in last year’s OHL Coaches Poll behind only phenom Connor McDavid and star Max Domi. So the B’s gambled, bypassing such highly ranked offensive wizards as Kyle Connor, Mathew Barzal and Travis Konecny - who were still on the draft board - and grabbed him.

Going into this season, Senyshyn told the Citizen he was excited to learn and put the hard work in with Boston’s trainers and the Soo. It has shown. He was a standout at Bruins development camp in July, where he used his elite speed to score a pair of goals and assists while creating numerous other scoring chances in the final scrimmage before soaking in the experiences of Boston’s rookie and main camps in the fall.

"When he has the puck on his stick, it's like go, and then you notice him."

- Greyhounds coach Drew Bannister 

He has gone on to become a more complete player for the Greyhounds at just 18, being named assistant captain and making the OHL All-Star super series against Russia in only his second season of junior hockey. He’s racked up 60 points, flying past the 45 he put up last season as a rookie on a more stacked team.

His fast rise and high compete level on the way to 40 goals have included several of the highlight reel variety, such as beating defenders with speed up the middle, stickhandling through on the wing, or flying by everyone wide in end to end fashion. He finishes strong by cutting hard to the net, in at least one case being dramatically upended into the air as he scored.

Senyshyn’s speed, along with a fearlessness in going to the goal and an innate desire to score make him a constant threat on the ice. “My favorite thing in the world to do is score goals,” he told the Globe. “When I see that opening, when I see that light at the end of the tunnel, see I’m going to be able to get even a glimpse of trying to get that goal, I’m going to do everything I can to get to that area and score that goal. That’s what I want to do for the Bruins, is score goals.”

It’s this type of play that earned Senyshyn the only spot (46) among Bruins-to be in TSN’s TOP 50 NHL-Affiliated Prospects list last month.

“When he has the puck on his stick, it’s like go, and then you notice him,” Greyhounds coach Drew Bannister said in the Globe.

“He’s probably one of the most fluid skaters I’ve seen in a long time, as far as his size at 6’2” and being able to accelerate as quickly as he does through traffic,” added Jack Higgins, Central Canada’s head scout for ISS Hockey.

Senyshyn, at 192 lbs, could still benefit from adding strength and rounding out his play away from the puck. As he learns to spot teammates more when the shot isn’t there, his speed and net drive will make him even more dangerous. If he makes the big club next year it would be earlier than expected, but few would have imagined he’d put up 45 goals this season, either. “I think with my capabilities and my speed and my talent, I think that if I can add some of these things to my game, I think I can definitely be a Boston Bruin next year,” he said.

With the NHL's speed train cruising along in overdrive and the B’s trying to adjust to the trend by pushing a quicker pace, they have to like what they see with Senyshyn on the way and ultra-fast fellow-Ottawan Ryan Spooner and speedy David Pastrnak already making impacts in Boston.

[UPDATE: Senyshyn finished the regular season with 45 goals and 20 assists in 66 games while pounding out 263 shots on net, and was named the west's Best Skater and third-most dangerous in the goal area in the 2016 OHL Coaches Poll in March. He added two goals and seven assists in 12 playoff games. In mid-April, he was named a finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy as OHL Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the 2015-16 Season.]




On the Horizon

The Bruins will likely lose winger Loui Ericksson to free agency over the summer, so they must be eagerly monitoring Senyshyn’s progress as well as that of B’s 2015 4^th rounder Jesse Gabrielle – who has also put up 40 goals to go with 74 points in 67 games for Prince George of the WHL this year. A Brad Marchand-type agitator with strength and skill, just like Marchand he’s elevated his scoring game this season. Senyshyn’s fellow 2015 first rounder Jake DeBrusk (20 goals and 61 points in 56 games) is finishing his WHL career and will be eligible to play for the Providence Bruins after the season. Previous B's draft picks such as Danton Heinen (40 points in 36 games) are putting up big seasons in the NCAA. Coupled with the progress of free agent college pickups like big shooter Frank Vatrano (AHL goals leader with 29 in just 28 games) and quick, shifty playmaker Austin Czarnik (43 points in 50 games) for the Baby B’s this year, the Bruins have several young forwards to be excited about in the near future.