Bill Zonnon Making a Big Impact with WBS

Photo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Kyle Dubas did a media availability on the afternoon of May 12, hours before Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the Atlantic Division Final against Springfield.

At one point, the Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM talked about the journey ahead for Bill Zonnon, making his professional debut in the game.

Dubas said they have to do their best to turn Zonnon’s potential of becoming an NHL player into reality, and “it’s obviously exciting Bill will get that chance, starting tonight.”

Zonnon scored in that contest, a 2-0 win.

He scored again in Game 2, a 4-3 overtime loss.

And yep, you guessed it – the 19-year-old forward scored again in Game 3, a 2-1 victory.

“He’s not a first-round pick by accident, right?” WBS Head Coach Kirk MacDonald told reporters Tony Androckitis and Matthew Wiernasz following the game.

Pittsburgh drafted Zonnon with the 22^nd overall pick, after taking Ben Kindel at No. 11 and before taking Will Horcoff at No. 24.

“Billy Zonnon has a high work rate, highly competitive,” Penguins Vice President of Player Personnel Wes Clark said that night. “Tremendous athletic upside. Got to know him a little bit there in Buffalo (at the NHL Scouting Combine). You see the look in his eyes, he's got that dog mindset. So, the type of kid that helps you win hockey games.”

However, Zonnon didn’t get as much attention compared with the other two throughout the year, as he was sidelined for a good chunk of time at the beginning. Zonnon missed the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, all of training camp, and the first 29 games of the season due to injury.

But despite all of that time missed, Zonnon still put together a tremendous body of work with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, his first year with the team after spending the previous three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

He recorded 14 goals, 32 assists, 46 points and a plus-24 in just 35 games played. Zonnon’s 1.31 points-per-game average ranked 11^th across the entire QMJHL, and he helped his team to the fourth-best record in the league.

They fell in seven games to the top-seeded Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL semifinals, with Zonnon, who signed a three-year entry-level deal in March, inking an amateur tryout agreement to join WBS for their Calder Cup playoff run. He flew into Philadelphia and had a car service for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Hershey for Game 4 of the Atlantic Divison Semifinals.

On the way, Zonnon watched film and studied WBS’ systems. He had already been following the team as much as he could during his own season. When he arrived at the arena and the puck dropped, Zonnon paid extra attention to how WBS was playing.

“Once I found out I was coming here, I think it was a great opportunity for me to just keep going,” Zonnon told reporters in Wilkes-Barre following Game 1, with Androckitis getting video. “Obviously, it sucks when your season is over. But when you get a chance to come here and be part of a great team, you got to make the most out of it.”

So, when the WBS staff went to go over that information with Zonnon ahead of Game 1 against Springfield, he already knew it. Penguins management was impressed with Zonnon’s initiative.

“He's deeply committed to doing all the small things,” Dubas said.

Doing his homework helped Zonnon get off to a hot start, as did some quiet confidence, which is essential for young players trying to make an impact at higher levels.

“Obviously, coming in, I believed in my abilities. I wanted to believe in myself, and this is an experience for me, but I just want to help the team as much as I can as well,” Zonnon said in that same postgame interview. “I definitely didn’t want to come in tonight just going through the motions. I wanted to be a guy that was going to help the team as much as he could.”

Zonnon’s style of game played a factor as well. Zonnon, who measures 6-2 and 190 pounds, has described himself as a power forward, listing Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe as a player he looks up to.

“I really take pride in just playing a complete game, defensively, offensively, someone that can play in all situations,” Zonnon said. “I like to get in the dirty areas, win my battles. And just be a complete player. That's my goal.”

MacDonald said that not only does Zonnon compete at a high level, he thinks the game at a high level.

“You do those two things, usually you have some success,” MacDonald said.

Having fun is a big key for Zonnon, too, with the teenager saying he couldn’t remember the last time he had such a good time playing.

“That was the biggest thing for me coming in, just having fun, believing in myself, and I knew that good things were going to happen,” he said.

WBS will have the chance to advance when it takes the ice for Game 4 against Springfield on Thursday, May 21. Game time is set for 7:05 PM at MassMutual Center. Game 5, if necessary, will be played on Saturday, May 25 at 6:05 PM at Mohegan Arena.

Individual playoff game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367 or at **wbspenguins.com**.