In a draft class loaded with top-end defencemen, Zach Olsen has begun to attract a lot of attention from scouts. The Saskatoon Blades right wing was added to the Western Hockey League (WHL) Top Prospects Game in February, jumped up from 43rd to 36th on the NHL Central Scouting list of North American skaters, and after the Blades were eliminated in the playoffs, he was flown to Slovakia to join Canada’s U18 World Championship team.
In his second season with the Blades, Olsen put up a solid 18 goals and 34 points, both career highs, but his game is much more than what you see on the box score. He’s an incredibly hard worker who blends high awareness with intense competitiveness and has made himself an invaluable part of the Blades’ core with his never-quit motor.
With the draft fast approaching, I sat down with Olsen to talk about his journey towards draft day, the work that he’s doing on and off the ice, and what makes him such a special player.
What do you hope that NHL scouts have taken away from watching you in the regular season and in the playoffs?
“I’ve always been told that I’m a playoff player, so I hope to show that, and I hope that they see that I’m just physical, competitive, and my speed and physicality.”
How would you describe your role to a future NHL team? What will you tell them when you’re asked, “Why should we draft you?“
“I think I’m an energy guy. I think I make my teammates around me better with the compete I bring, and I’ve also been told I can play up and down the lineup, so when they need me on the power play or on the penalty kill, I can do any of it.”
What’s the biggest thing you’ve been working on this year?
“Biggest thing for me is just shooting the puck. I know when I get in the o-zone I tend to look for the pass and maybe I’ll pass up a good shot opportunity, so kind of find the balance of when to shoot and when to pass.”
What does it mean to be ranked among the top 50 skaters on the Central Scouting list?
“It’s obviously a huge honour to see all my hard work pay off and get ranked there. At the end of the day, I just have to keep going and hopefully move up the list and just continue to prove people wrong.”
Do you pay much attention to the rankings?
“Yeah, I’ll check in every now and then, but I don’t really like to focus on that stuff. I don’t think it really matters at the end of the day. I know it’s not going to be exactly how the rankings are, so I try not to look at it too much.”
What would you say is your greatest achievement in hockey so far?
“I’d say the biggest one for me is being able to play as a 16-year-old here. I know I got to play with a bunch of great players and learn a bunch from them.”
Although Olsen didn’t clarify who those players were in this interview, he’s previously mentioned two veterans who made a big impact on him as a 16-year-old. “Charlie Wright, he was loved by the whole community down in Saskatoon. I’d really like to be like him off the ice,” he said in September 2025, “and then on the ice, Fraser Minten. Just watching him with the puck, he’s a threat everywhere her is. So, it’d be super, super special to be like him.”
Do you try to model your game after?
“Yeah, I’d say the big one for me is probably Tom Wilson. I like to play big and heavy like him, and he can score goals as well.”
What got you into hockey?
“I think my dad’s been the biggest role model for me, which made me want to start hockey. He did play at a high level, so kind of just watching him and knowing that he played hockey got me into it as well.”
Olsen’s dad is Brad Olsen, who played four seasons with Mercyhurst University from 1998 to 2002 and served as Mercyhurst’s assistant captain in 2001-02. The elder Olsen played a similar style to his son, blending toughness with skill, which earned him a professional contract with the Rockford Icehogs of the United Hockey League (UHL) after graduating. In his only professional season, he put up three goals, 13 points, and 113 penalty minutes over 64 games.
Why did you choose to commit to Colorado College?
“I think just overall, improve every aspect of my game. I know Colorado is super competitive there, and that’s something I was looking for, so that’ll be a perfect match for me, and I know the coaching staff and all the players there will push me to be my best. They have a newer facility, so the rink is super, super nice, and they definitely get spoiled down there, so I’m excited for it.”
It’s worth noting that fellow draft-eligible Blades Cooper Williams and Brayden Klimpke, who also committed to NCAA programs, both stated at locker cleanup that they will return to Saskatoon in 2026-27. While Olsen is clearly excited to join Blades’ alumni Brandon Lisowsky in Colorado, he still may decide to delay his start to help Saskatoon win a championship, and he would certainly play a significant role in that.
How would you describe the kind of person you are? How do you want to be remembered?
“I would say a leader, with my actions and my words. Also fun and competitive.”
The NHL Draft will take place on June 26 and 27 at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo.
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