Trevor Zegras is finding his groove with Anaheim
Trevor Zegras
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA Sports TODAY
It’s Duck hunting season. Except for Ducks who are hunting.
There is a lot of positive energy surrounding the Anaheim Ducks, who are currently on an eight-game winning streak and hold first place in the Pacific Division. Will they be at the top of a stronger team? Probably, but that’s irrelevant since they’re not in another department. The Ducks are currently the top team at the Western Conference, and they continue to show their strength in a variety of ways.
Troy Terry is the clear bright spot of the team, leading the table with 11 goals and 21 points after 16 matches. But there is also Trevor Zegras, who is still a rookie despite 24 games with the club last year, turning heads.
With six goals and 10 points in 15 games, Zegras is currently 4th among rookies in terms of goalscoring record. By playing 24 games last year, he maintained his rookie status by just one, allowing him to chase the Calder Trophy this season.
And he is making a strong case.
It’s still early days, and Zegras has gone on a four-match winless streak before scoring five goals in the last two. His kick time has dropped a bit, from averaging 19 minutes a night near the end of October to around 14 minutes over the past few games. Perhaps more favorable games are working in his favor, because Zegras has been particularly strong in recent wins over Vancouver and Washington.
Out of all the rookies with at least 150 minutes of 5v5 this season, Zegras’ 2.16 points/60 ranks fifth (he’s second behind Lucas Raymond’s 2.55 among players with at least 190 minutes) . He’s more of a baller than a goalscorer, but Zegras has a great wrist shot and it’s been working for him so far.
Zegras’ power play wasn’t too impressive, as he finished third among the Ducks with 39:28 in power play time, but with just two goals and no assists. create any. But it’s all part of the learning process, and after an odd 2020-21 season that saw him not play until the December World Youth Championship before splitting his time in the NHL and AHL. , his confidence began to appear.
And confidence is a very important thing for top leads. You could say Cole Caufield was struggling in Montreal, with just one point from 10 games before being sent down to the AHL earlier this month. Caufield had a 2020-21 season dominated by all accounts, playing key minutes for Montreal in the team’s surprising campaign to the Stanley Cup final. But the team felt Caufield needed a little tweaking and sent him back to Laval. He impressed on the points and was called up on Thursday morning, allowing him to continue his Calder chase.
The Ducks could have done the same to Zegras after a rough start, but he figured it out now. And with the Ducks thriving in the Pacific, it’s extremely important to keep and keep it locked up during that time. Zegras looks like a threat every time he touches the ice, and as a result he is making the whole team so much better.
Ducks have plenty of reasons to be excited about the future. Terry has been fantastic, Jamie Drysdale is the future defender and Zegras, among other strikers, is poised to lead the team into a long-term future. Zegras’ story has only just begun, and it’s an exciting time to be an Anaheim Ducks fan.
https://thehockeynews.com/news/trevor-zegras-is-finding-his-groove-with-anaheim Trevor Zegras is finding his groove with Anaheim
