Spend any amount of time watching Olen Zellweger on a sheet of ice and one would find it difficult not to be thoroughly electrified. The blend of a flawless, powerful stride, four-way mobility, lightning-quick hands, and a heavy shot off a sharp release will surely widen the eyes of any in attendance when Zellweger touches the ice.
Following back-to-back seasons that earned him WHL Defenseman of the Year honors in 2021-22 and 2022-23, with the latter also earning him CHL Defenseman of the Year honors, Zellweger made his AHL and NHL debuts in 2023-24, flashing the elite skills that have fans daydreaming of the possibilities to come for the explosive, young defenseman in Anaheim.
Zellweger played the first 34 games of his rookie season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, scoring eight goals and 17 assists, enough to earn him an AHL All-Star appearance. When asked to evaluate the early part of the season for himself, Zellweger said it was “just ok.”
“I was definitely having a lot of highs and lows throughout that time,” Zellweger told The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton.
Though he didn’t make the Ducks’ opening night roster for the 2023-24 season, his determination and dedication to his craft wouldn’t keep him in the AHL for long. While his offensive abilities were undeniable, there were some question marks surrounding the limitations of his defensive game.
Zellweger isn’t blessed with ideal height or length for a modern NHL defenseman, standing at 5-foot-9. He’s aware of that particular limitation and counteracts it as best he can by adding as much mass and strength as possible. He’s currently listed at 182 pounds.
Olen Zellweger’s hard work has helped take him to the next level
Adding mass was one area he needed to work on. The other was a firmer grasp of what was expected of him on the defensive side of the puck. Due to the system the Ducks and Gulls run and his physical stature, Zellweger needs to display perfect angling and engagement skills while defending one-on-one. His skating will help him recover, but only to a certain extent.
“He’s a real coachable kid,” Ducks head coach Gred Cronin said. “I think we all weren’t sure what he was going to be at training camp because of his lack of length and size. But his heart is huge and he’s tremendously tenacious and I know he knew and I think (Gulls head coach Matt (McIlvane) and his staff did a great job educating him on the importance of staying between the attacker and the net. Because if he gets on…