Summer Spotlight: Zach Werenski

Number:8
Birth date:July 19, 1997 (age 25)
Birthplace: Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Height, Weight: 6-2, 213
Stats: 68 GP, 11-37-48
Contract:Signed through 2027-28 season (Six years remaining before UFA status)

Zach Werenski knew things were going to be different going into the 2021-22 season.
It was a new-look Blue Jackets team, and that was especially true for Werenski. He had a new long-term contract signed in the summer and a new "A" on his sweater, inherited after the offseason trade of his longtime running made Seth Jones to Chicago.
Werenski knew he'd be a new role as the unquestioned leader of the CBJ blue line, and the good news is he feels like his first season in that position was a success.
"I couldn't have been happier with how much I learned this season," Werenski said at the end of the campaign. "And I'm just excited for the future, now knowing how hard it is to play those minutes every single night back-to-back. I don't think I could have learned any more than I did this year. There were definitely peaks and valleys, personally in my game, as a team. Individually, I took a step forward this year."
In the end, Werenski set a new career high with 48 points, good for third all-time in CBJ history for a defenseman. Other career highs included 37 assists, 216 shots on goal, 428 shot attempts and 25:40 of ice time averaged per game during a season in which he made his second All-Star appearance (and won the Fountain Face-Off at the Bellagio in Vegas).

Top Moment of 2021-22

With a player like Werenski who was involved in so many big plays on the season, there's a lot to choose from, but we'll go with his most dramatic tally on the season. In a hugely competitive game March 11 vs. Minnesota in Nationwide Arena marred by the late injury to Jakub Voracek, Werenski delighted the CBJ faithful when he scored an empty-net goal with 30.4 seconds to go to tie the game at 2 against the Wild. Columbus would go on to win the game in a shootout on Yegor Chinakhov's tally.

A Werenski Highlight

Video: DET@CBJ: Werenski snaps puck home late in the 3rd

Stat to Know

Nothing says No. 1 defenseman quite like playing time, and Werenski was used in every situation, skating an average of 25:40 per game to place third in CBJ history and tied for sixth in the NHL a season ago. He topped 30 minutes of ice time in five games, including a career-best 33:03 played in a shootout win at New Jersey on Oct. 31.

2022-23 Expectations

There's little hiding the fact No. 8 is the team's No. 1 defenseman, and the hope from all involved is that Werenski's learning year will lead to an even better version of the standout defenseman this upcoming season. Coming off a year in which the Blue Jackets gave up the most goals in franchise history, defensive improvement will be the top priority for Columbus this season, and Werenski will be expected to help lead the way on both sides of the ice while continuing to play huge minutes.