Photo Credit: Bemidji State University
For starters, Will Zmolek is a native of Rochester, Minnesota, and is the son of former player Doug Zmolek who was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. Will, was born on April 17, 1999. His father, Doug, attended the University of Minnesota, so hockey was always engrained with him as he was growing up as a child.
Will Zmolek is a marketing communications major at Bemidji State. He is gifted offensively as he has registered 170 points in 126 games played for Bemidji State Beavers hockey team in the CCHA.
Zmolek, 23, served as an Alternate Captain and tallied 21 points (4g,17a) this season. He also plays on the Power Play and also netted two power-play goals, and one short-handed goal in 36 games this season with Bemidji State University. For his efforts, he was a 2023 Hobey Baker nominee.
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.
Through further research, Zmolek was debating coming back for a fifth season with the Beavers, but in the end the Flyers came a calling.
“It was actually pretty quick. We were at the rink (in Bemidji) in the morning, had a last full-team meeting, then I was out at lunch with my teammates, guys in my class, and my agent called and said (Philadelphia) had offered. I went out to my car and called my parents and said ‘I think this is the right spot for me. It’s a no-brainer to say yes.” – Will Zmolek said to Jason Feldman of the Post Bulletin in Rochester, Minnesota
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.
“I can’t really describe how I’m feeling with how excited I am but I’m looking forward to it and just really excited.” – Will Zmolek said in a youtube video
He would have garnered more attention if the Beavers were a better hockey team. This typically happens throughout the NCAA, the more noticeable or sexy signings come from bigger Universities that have sustained more success throughout the Collegiate season. Zmolek also comes from a university that former Flyer Matt Read attended in Bemidji University.
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. He looks like a more healthier Samuel Morin esque defenseman, so hopefully it pans out.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Team Store!
One thing that people forget is he will stick up for his teammates. He is a a menace on the ice, and loves to hit. This is something that seems to be resonating with this current Flyers team. He has signed an ATO (Amateur Try Out) with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the rest of the season before his ELC kicks in 2023-24.
