Olen Zellweger
Olen Andre Zellweger is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. He was drafted in the second round, 34th overall, by the Ducks in the 2021 NHL entry draft.
Early life
Although, Zellweger was born in Calgary, he was raised in Bonnyville, Alberta. He won an Atom AA championship on the Bonnyville Pontiacs. He never got in trouble as a child and his heroes were his parents.Playing career
Zellweger was selected by the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League in the second round of the 2018 prospect draft. He made his debut with the Silvertips at the age of 16 during the 2019–20 season. He played in 148 games for Everett registering 28 goals and 103 assists. He won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL defenceman of the year in 2021–22, marking the first time a Silvertips player won that trophy.He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2021 NHL entry draft. Zellweger signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks on August 13, 2021. Later that season he would make his professional debut with the San Diego Gulls, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Ducks, playing a single playoff game and recording one assist.
For the 2022–23 season, Zellweger returned to the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. On January 8, 2023, Zellweger, along with Ryan Hofer were traded to the Memorial Cup hosting Kamloops Blazers in exchange for four players and ten draft picks. Though the Blazers were eliminated from the Memorial Cup, Zellweger was named to the tournament's all-star team. He would go on to win his second Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy at the end of the year, the sixth Blazer to win the trophy. He was named to the Canadian Hockey League's First All-Star team alongside Blazers' teammate Logan Stankoven, and CHL Defenceman of the Year.
For the 2023–24 season, Zellweger again joined the San Diego Gulls, where he was named to the AHL All-Star Game. On January 23, 2024, Zellweger was called up to the Anaheim Ducks. He made his debut that night recording one assist in a win over the Buffalo Sabres. After four games, he was sent back to San Diego, where he represented the team at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. Zellweger was recalled again by Anaheim on March 1 and was leading all AHL rookie defencemen in goals, points and tied for the lead in assists and was third overall in overall rookie scoring, with 12 goals, 25 assists for 37 points in 44 games with San Diego. He scored his first NHL goal on March 31 beating goaltender Artūrs Šilovs of the Vancouver Canucks. He finished the season with Anaheim, scoring two goals and nine points in 26 games.
International play
Zellweger made his international debut for Canada with the Canada men's national under-18 [ice hockey team|national under-18 team] at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships. He registered eight points in Team Canada's seven-game tournament, which saw them defeat Russia men's national [junior ice hockey team|Russia] for the gold medal.Six months later, Zellweger was selected to play for the national junior team at the initial 2022 World [Junior Ice Hockey Championships] that took place beginning in December 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed until August, with all individual statistics retained but the team results erased. In the new tournament in August 2022, Zellweger played an important role in Team Canada's gold medal win, and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team. He rejoined Team Canada for the 2023 [World Junior Ice Hockey Championships], which saw the national team win its twentieth World Junior gold.
Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 NHL season, Zellweger accepted an invitation to make his senior national team debut at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.