The New Jersey Devils were universally lauded for choosing Pavel Zacha 6th overall in 2015. After his first full season in the NHL, he needs to show vast improvement next season.
Pavel Zacha is one of the many very good young players the New Jersey Devils have in their system. Coming into last season, he ranked 34th on Hockey’s Future, 35th on ESPN and the 10th best rookie by USA Today. There was a lot on the line for the Devils, who were expecting a lot of development from a 19-year-old Czech.
He wasn’t great last season, but he was definitely serviceable. He played most third-line center. Zacha scored eight goals with 16 assists.
He was extremely streaky. At one point, Zacha went six straight games with an assist. In another stretch, he went from November 27th to January 16th without a point. There was a small injury in there, but that’s still more than a dozen games without a single point.
Just one year ago, Zacha was burning up the OHL. He had 64 points in 51 games for the Sarnia Sting. He even spent a game on the Devils, and scored two assists. It was clear that the sky was the limit for Zacha.
Zacha may be having trouble trying to juggle the many aspects that comes with being an NHL center. He was putrid in the faceoff circle, winning just over 40 percent of his draws. His defense also saw low points, something a center needs to keep consistent.
The Devils are about to be packed at the center position. On the NHL roster last year, they had Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson and Blake Coleman along with Zacha. In the AHL, they had John Quenneville, who should be just about ready to take the next step, and Blake Speers. Then, they have 2016 first-round pick Michael McLeod who has been beyond fantastic in Juniors. Add that to the current number one overall pick, who will likely be between centers Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, the Devils are extremely crammed at the center position.
Zacha needs to prove himself next season. He cannot get into his own head, because that could derail his career.
With the progression of prospects, and the incoming top-overall pick, Zacha is no longer the shiny new toy in the Devils prospect pool. He’s now a young NHL player who needs to have a good sophomore season. Nobody expects him to be a superstar next season, but he has to show serious improvement. He’s still an amazing prospect, with some experts comparing him to Ryan Getzlaf.
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If the Devils are going to become competitive next year, Zacha will need to be one of the cornerstone pieces. The Devils need much more secondary scoring, and he can provide that from the third line.
Coming into next year, the Devils could pair Zacha with the likes of Miles Wood, who may have been streaky but was very good at times. These two players could lift each other up to new heights. He could also get paired with Beau Bennett, who has been talking on Twitter like he’s already re-signed with the team. He could end up moving up to the second line if the Devils decide to move Henrique to the wing.
A lot can happen next year, but no matter what happens Zacha has to show improvement. He’s only 19 years old, so there should be no jumping to conclusions. Going through your first NHL season is a grind, especially from the center position. He proved he can take the grind of the season, now he has to do it while lighting up the scoreboard. Eight goals is not good enough.
Next season is so important for what was the Devils top prospect.