Gamblers standout Will Zellers offers a look inside the unique path to the NHL

ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — If you want to play hockey at a high level, you have to grow up quickly—and Will Zellers is living proof.

Zellers moved away from home, hired an agent, and was drafted into the NHL by the age of 18.

“I think it helps you a lot more than it hurts, you know, being that more independent person,” Zellers said. “So I think it's a blessing that I was able to grow up a little quicker and be a little more independent.”

Zellers, a forward for the Green Bay Gamblers, currently leads the United States Hockey League in goals scored and recently set the franchise record for most goals in a single season with 42.

He's the first hockey player in his family, and says he’s spent the past few years learning what it takes to chase a professional career.

“Around 13 years old was kind of when I started to realize the path I wanted to take and the steps I needed to do to get to that next level,” Zellers said. “And moving away from home was a big step too, but I also knew it needed to be done.”

Many elite hockey prospects attend boarding or prep schools to pursue their dreams. According to a 2020 report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 40% of North American NHL All-Star players went to private school.

Zellers, a Minnesota native, chose Shattuck-St. Mary’s—a nationally recognized hockey powerhouse. He left home at 14.

“Growing up, I mean, my mom would always just get on me, like, ‘Do your homework at this time, you got hockey at this time,’ and all that,” Zellers said. “And as I grew up and went to Shattuck, I kind of realized, you know, I had to make my own schedule and be disciplined with myself.”

After high school, most players spend one to three years playing junior hockey—a developmental step between high school and college. That’s what brought Zellers to Green Bay. The USHL is considered the top junior league in the U.S., with players ranging from 16 to 20 years old.

“It's just kind of a development path,” Zellers said. “You want to go into college when your body's matured and you're used to that faster speed. I mean, the more you go up in levels, the harder hockey gets. It's faster, stronger, smarter players. It will be a smoother transition into college instead of having an off year where you’re still getting used to it.”

Gamblers Head Coach Patrick McCadden said the system starts early.

“They start at 12, 13, 14-years-old now with the agents,” McCadden said. “And then the best ones, they all typically want to move on and get to junior hockey. We start watching guys for our team at age 15, sometimes even 14.”

One of the most unique aspects of hockey is that players can be drafted before ever stepping on a college rink. Zellers was selected in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.

“What it means is they maintain their professional rights,” McCadden said. “They have the ability to sign them to an NHL contract—no other team does. So that’s really all it means, and then it’s up to the player over the next two, three, four, five years to earn that contract through that organization that drafts them.”

Being drafted doesn’t guarantee a spot in the league—but it does mean someone believes in your potential.

“You see probably 215 to 220 players a year get drafted,” McCadden said. “Statistically, maybe 40 to 50 of them will play in the NHL.”

For Zellers, being drafted was a dream come true—and motivation to keep pushing forward.

“When you have that pressure of, I mean, the fan base wants you to do well, an NHL organization believed in you as a player, and they think you can play in the NHL, it makes you want to work harder,” Zellers said. “So it’s a good pressure. You have to put in the work and you want to be able to get to that next level.”

Last month, Zellers found out from a Gamblers teammate via X (formerly Twitter) that he’d been traded to the Boston Bruins as part of a marquee deal involving a 13-year NHL veteran.

“To be part of a trade of that magnitude means that Boston really values him and sees Will in their future,” McCadden said.

“To be wanted at this young age, to be traded, it's pretty special and pretty cool to happen too,” Zellers said. “So everyone’s pretty excited for me.”

While the future is bright, Zellers is staying focused on what’s next: his college career at the University of North Dakota.

“I just want to produce for North Dakota and be a good player for them and win a lot of hockey games,” Zellers said. “It could be one year, it could be two years, it could be four years—it just all depends on how I play and what happens. But I’m just really excited to get to North Dakota and be there and put in the work with those guys there.”