Photo Credit: Bemijdi State
The Flyers and Chuck Fletcher announced today, sort of a shocker to some, the signing of a left-hand defenseman from Bemidji State University Will Zmolek to a one-year entry-level contract due to his age. He’s a Senior, and aged 23. Zmolek gets confused as a Right-Handed shooter, as he plays on the right side, but it’s actually his offhand.
Zmolek, 23, serves as an alternate captain and has tallied 21 points (4g,17a). He also plays on the Power Play and has netted two power-play goals, and one short-handed goal in 36 games this season with Bemidji State University.
One thing Zmolek brings is size. Zmolek has widely been known as a defensive defenseman, with some offensive production. He’s a decent skater given his size as he stands at 6’4 and weighs 209 pounds. Zmolek is not the best skater but a decent one, and he has signed an ATO with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the rest of the season. His ELC kicks in the 2023-24 season, as the Beavers season has ended. With Samuel Morin no longer in the plans for the Flyers at least as a player, the Flyers are trying to replicate his physical play on the defensive side of the puck. Zmolek does not shy away from physicality, rather he embraces it.
This 6’4, 209 pound defenseman in Zmolek was named CCHA’s Defenseman of the Month for December 2022, and Defenseman of the Week on November 14, 2022. His accolades also include being a 2023 Hobey Baker nominee.
Will is a native of Rochester, Minnesota, and is the son of former player Doug Zmolek drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. Will Zmolek is gifted offensively as he has registered 170 points in 126 games played.
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Personally, Zmolek could become a 6th/7th defenseman in the NHL. Some people compare him to Robert Hägg or Samuel Morin due to size. He’s a more gifted defenseman, at least offensively, so let’s hope his game correlates to the AHL level.
