Zach Werenski
Defenseman · Columbus Blue Jackets
2015 Draft, Rd 1 Pick 8 (#8) — Columbus Blue Jackets
Current Season
GP
52
Goals
20
Assists
42
Points
62
+/-
+8
S%
10.9%
Career Stats
Contract
Cap Hit
$9.58M
Total Value
$57.50M
Expires
6 yrs · 2027-2028
Status
Then UFA
via PuckPedia
Recent Stories
Team USA's gold medal heroes pull off a miracle overtime stunner against Canada, echoing the '80 Miracle on Ice on its 46th anniversary. Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski invite Johnny Gaudreau's young kids, Noa and Johnny Jr., onto the ice for the team photo, jersey held high in the locker room all tournament. With Meredith, Guy, and Jane watching through tears, this gesture cements Johnny's enduring legacy among the U.S.-born greats who never got his own shot at Olympic gold.
Team USA's men's hockey squad clinches Olympic gold with a 2-1 overtime thriller over Canada, but the real story unfolds in the emotional aftermath as players honor the late Johnny Gaudreau. Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, and Zach Werenski carry Gaudreau's No. 13 jersey around the rink, then invite his young children onto the ice for the medal ceremony and photos.
GM Don Waddell outlines Columbus' blueprint coming out of Olympics, pinpointing two critical keys to climb the standings before March 6. Werenski's gold glow adds firepower, but execution against Metro rivals decides if they buy or sell. Front-office vets like Waddell rarely tip hands early, making this preview gold for deadline watchers.
Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski returns from Olympic gold a different player, according to two-time winner Rick Nash who has seen the transformation before. Columbus brass hopes the medal accelerates their post-break surge amid deadline previews. Nash's insight from the winners' circle underscores how hardware rewires NHL careers overnight.
The Olympic break wraps up with NHLers returning from Milan-Cortina, where stars like Jack Hughes and Zach Werenski lit up the international stage for the first time since Sochi. Casual fans tuning in now face a league buzzing with playoff races tightening and trade whispers growing louder in front offices I know all too well.
Jack Hughes delivers the golden goal in overtime against Canada, capping a gritty 2-1 win that ends America's 46-year Olympic drought since the Miracle on Ice. The Devils star shakes off a brutal high-stick from Sam Bennett that costs him teeth in the third period, then buries a wrist shot off Zach Werenski's feed past Jordan Binnington just 1:41 into 3-on-3.