Growing up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan and playing hockey for the University of Michigan Wolverines, the last place defenseman Zach Werenski thought he would become a beloved fan favorite was in Columbus, Ohio.
Home to Michigan’s chief rival, The Ohio State University, Columbus has welcomed Werenski into the city, and embraced him so much that Blue Jackets faithful supported the rookie with homemade t-shirts after he was lost for the season because of facial fractures suffered in Game 4 of the opening round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“It’s been pretty crazy since it happened,” Werenski said in his exit interview. “I went from going to places where I would eat every day and no one saying a word to everyone sees the eye, and it’s all over the place just because of a selfie I posted on Twitter. It’s been pretty crazy the last couple days.”
In 78 regular-season games in his rookie year, Werenski scored 11 goals and assisted on 36 other scores for a total of 47 points. The eighth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Werenski was a plus-17 on the season, served only 14 penalty minutes and put 188 shots on goal.
Additionally, Werenski was a catalyst for the Blue Jackets’ special-teams units, scoring four goals and assisting 17 others on the power play.
“I’ve learned a ton this year,” Werenski said. “I can’t really pinpoint one thing I’ve learned because I feel like every game, I learned something new, whether that’s based on the schedule and how to prepare for games or what to do going back for a puck in the D-zone.”
With 6:35 left in the second period of Game 3, the Penguins evened the score at 3-3 when Bryan Rust put a snap shot into the back of the net. Early in the play, Werenski took a shot off the face from center Evgeni Malkin and remained down on the ice for several seconds, all while play was still alive.
Although left winger Brandon Saad controlled the rebound off of the shot from Malkin, Rust slapped at Saad’s stick and sent the puck into the net.
Although Werenski suffered a broken orbital bone, as well as an injury to his sinus cavity, he got stitched up, had a full visor put on his helmet and finished the rest of the third period before swelling in his eye prevented him from playing in the overtime session.
“Obviously, I wanted to go back out there, felt like I could play, and then, in-between the third and overtime, in the span of like a minute, my vision was just gone,” Werenski said. “I felt it swelling up and close, and at that point, I felt like I had to pull myself. One, I could hurt the team, especially in a game like that, and two, I could hurt myself. I just felt like it wasn’t worth it to go back out there and play.”
The kind of toughmindedness Werenski displayed throughout his rookie season garnered respect and attention from around the league, including being named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s best first-year player.
“It’s an individual award, but it comes with the team,” Werenski said. “Without the team’s success that we had this year, I don’t think I’d be in the position I am, to be going to Vegas as one of the top three.”
