SASKATOON – Nick Zajac started playing for the Saskatoon Blades at 16 years of age. Four years later, he’s entering his final WHL season as a leader for the boys in blue.
The forward has suited up for 250 regular season games and registered 100 points for the hockey club. Zajac said it would be an honour for him to finish his WHL career with the only team he’s played for.
“It’s honestly a great honour to be able to wear the jersey that many times,” said Zajac.
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Things didn’t always go smoothly when the rookie from Manitoba came to the team in 2011. He recalls repeatedly screwing up drills in practice which earned him the nickname “Drill Kill Zaj.”
“That name came pretty quick, but I remember I went to Lorne Molleken, who was the coach at the time, and I’d ask him for practice plan before practice so I could get an idea of what we were doing,” said Zajac.
Today, the 20-year-old veteran enforces proper execution during practice.
On the ice during games, Zajac can hit, score and he can fight.
“He’s a tough guy to play against and I’m sure opposition teams when they’re out there against him know that they’re in for a battle and that’s a good example to set especially for our young guys,” said Blades head coach and general manager Bob Woods.”
“When you have a young team like we have, it’s very important to have guys that have been through the battles and know what it takes to be successful in this league. They set an example. They do the things the right way all the time and young guys learn from that.”
In his past four seasons, Zajac has won over the hearts of Blades fans with his grit and relentless style of play. But in his final year in the WHL, he wants to show off his scoring touch.
“I’ve kind of hinted at the fact that I can put away some goals and assists, you know, generate some offence over my past four years but never have I really had a break-out season,” said Zajac.
The next pre-season game for the Blades is Friday against the Swift Current Broncos.
Jack Haskins contributed to this story
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