Silvertip Star Showing

The Puget Sound hockey community made a splash early into Saturday's second round of the NHL Draft when Everett Silvertips defenseman Olen Zellweger was selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 34th pick overall.
Like many draft hopefuls, Zellweger was gathered around the television to watch. He saw name come up quickly -- he was the second pick on the second day of the 2021 draft.

"It's super exciting for me and my family," Zellweger said. "I find it really hard to put into words. It's a lot of hockey and work but it's really nice to be rewarded with this."
After the hockey season ended, Zellweger heard from a number of NHL scouts who wanted to get to know the prospect a little bit better.
It's hard to judge how those conversations go if you're the player. That being said, Zellweger had an inkling about the Ducks.
"Definitely a team I thought my calls went well with," he said about Anaheim. "I think I had maybe a little feeling I might go there but I didn't know for sure, obviously."
Zellweger, 17, broke out for the Silvertips this past season, recording 13 points in 11 games. He was selected to play for Canada at the U18 World Championships in Texas. His production durin the tournament vaulted him up team draft boards.
Zellweger quickly became a mainstay on the Canadian power play. In seven games he set up seven goals overall, scoring one himself, for a total of eight points.

Rated as a "C" prospect last summer, which indicates lower round projections, he ended the season as the 45th ranked North American Skater. He didn't last that long as the Ducks took him with pick 34.
"First off, it was an honor to be rated," Zelleweger said. "But then secondly, I don't think you can ever be satisfied with where you're rated or how good you are now. There's always room for improvement, especially when you're at a 'C' rank. There's obviously lots of room to improve and show what you can do."
The 5-foot-9 defenseman is not the biggest skater on the ice, but he is fluid, with great vision, and an offensive threat. That vision paid off on the Silvertips power play and during up ice rushes through the neutral zone.
As the shortened season wore on, he became more sure about himself as a player.
"I think confidence in playing my best every game is something that really started to improve for me," Zellweger said. "That's definitely something I'm going bring into next year."
Next season will be big for the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta player. He projects to be back in Everett for a third year with the Silvertips, one that will further boost his development.
That path may ultimately lead to him skating onto the ice at the Climate Pledge Arena as a visitor to play against the Seattle Kraken. As a Pacific Division rival Duck. It's not something that he had thought about before Saturday.
"Now that you say it, I think that would be pretty cool," Zellweger said. "I guess some Everett fans might want to come watch me play that close to downtown Everett."