Connor Zary is one of the Draft’s Best Shooters but Concerns Elsewhere Linger

What do Nolan Patrick, Mat Barzal, and Cody Glass have in common? Connor Zary outscored each and every one of them in their draft years. Only six WHLers in the past decade recorded a higher point-per-game in their draft year than Zary did, fellow 2020 NHL Draft-eligible Seth Jarvis among them.

Zary played nearly 22 minutes per game, of all three disciplines, centring the top line of the WHL’s highest-scoring team.

The essence of Zary’s game is simple: shooting. His 4.51 shots on goal per game were third in the WHL and second among first-year draft-eligible players across the CHL (via Pick224.com). The bulk of his offence flows through his shot; it’s the most exciting element of his game.

What prevents junior finishers from becoming NHL finishers (beyond skill limitations) generally boils