Over parts of five seasons beginning in 2018-19 in his age 15 season, Zac Funk totaled 52 goals and 52 assists for 104 points in 160 games, mostly with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Midway through the 2022-23 season, Funk was moved to the Prince George Cougars in a trade. By season’s end, his total of 26 goals was a career high, and was evenly split between Calgary and Prince George.
On opening night of the 2023-24 season – his first full season with Prince George and his final season in the WHL – Funk recorded a hat trick and piled up five points against Tri-City. It was a preview of what was to come, which was a monstrous season in which he set a franchise standard with 67 goals in 68 games.
Funk played all 68 games for the Cougars, leading the WHL in goals and finishing second in scoring (123 points). He needed only those 68 games with which to obliterate each of the offensive category totals he had accumulated over his first five seasons in the League. His offensive outburst helped lead Prince George (49-15-4) to a B.C. Division crown, and a three-round playoff run.
Not long before the start of those playoffs, Funk fielded a number of offers from NHL teams interested in getting his name on the line which is dotted. The Caps came out on top of that bidding battle, signing Funk to a three-year entry level deal on March 1 of this year.
“I think a big reason was they were really personable with me and my family,” says Funk, of why he opted to sign on with Washington. “Big credit to Danny Brooks [Caps’ director of player recruitment] in the organization; he did a lot to recruit me. He liked my game, and we went to dinner a couple of times, and right from then, I always wanted to be a Capital.”
Funk’s big final season in the WHL also lifted his linemates. Terik Parascak – Washington’s first-round choice (17th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft – also finished with 43 goals, tied for ninth in the League. Parascak’s total of 105 points placed him eighth in the circuit. Their center, Ondrej Becher, piled up 64 assists to rank ninth in the WHL.
“I think all three of us just kind of let loose and played our game, and it all just worked out,” recounts Funk of his line’s success. “They’re two amazing playmakers, and I can put the puck in the net; they can, too. All three of us can do many things.”
Heading into his final WHL season, Funk had been a good middle-of-the-lineup player, but the massive leap he achieved with his game and his counting numbers has altered the course of his future. His opening night hat trick last season was the first of his WHL career; by season’s end he had eight hat tricks and 20 multi-goal games. Funk had five multi-goal games in his first 160 games in the WHL.
“I think I worked on a lot of skills, and my shot as well,” says Funk of his offensive surge last season. “I knew going into my last year of junior that I had to make something happen. Desperation is a big factor in that; I knew I had to put the pedal to the metal.”
This season, Funk will make the jump from juniors to the pros. On the heels of his tremendous ’23-24 campaign, the 21-year-old Coldwater, B.C. native is one of 20 prospects participating in the Caps’ rookie camp this weekend in Annapolis, Md.
Funk is an even six feet tall, and he tips the scales at 195 pounds. He doesn’t mind asserting himself physically on the ice, and he likes to park himself in the slot, where he estimates he scored half of his goals last season. Listed as a right wing, he prefers the left side, where he skated during his breakout ’23-24 season. Like any player seeking to ascend to the game’s highest level, Funk knows there are improvements and adjustments to be made to his game in order to achieve that lofty goal.
“I would say obviously skating,” assesses Funk. “You can always get faster; the game is getting faster, so skating would be a big one. And my stickhandling, I think you can always work on those things. Overall, you want to work on everything, but I think those are the two I would say I need to work on the most.”
July’s summer development camp and this weekend’s rookie camp should help Funk and the other prospects get their motors running against peers before Washington’s main training camp gets underway on Thursday. That’s when the kids take the ice with the veteran NHLers such as Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson and a host of others.
“Just to get out here and see where you’re at against all the top prospects in the organization, I think that’s really good,” says Funk of the long weekend in Annapolis. “And to get out with the big boys, I think that’s going to be a pretty cool experience. You grow up watching them, grow up watching Ovi and all those other guys, and it’s going to be crazy to step on the ice with them, so I’m going to be excited.”
No one expects Funk to duplicate his 67-goal season in 2024-25, but the confidence from that breakout campaign can serve him well as he seeks to cross the bridge to the pros this fall.
“I think confidence is a big factor; you have to have confidence wherever you go,” says Funk. “Obviously when you’re playing against bigger, stronger guys, it’s going to be different. You’re the small fry again, it’s going to be a different game, and you have to adjust and adapt, and change your game to where they see fit. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make the jump, and to battle my way through.”
This weekend, Funk and his fellow prospects are up early every day. After breakfast, a short bus ride to the rink and an off-ice warmup, they’re on the ice for more than 90 minutes from Friday through Monday. But that still leaves time to enjoy this gem of a town – and Maryland’s capital city – which is a hub of all kinds of exciting activities this weekend.
“You usually start with a nap, and then walk down to the water and just enjoy it,” says Funk. “It’s a beautiful city.
“And obviously, you’ve got to try the ice cream around here; it’s pretty good.”
Beginning next week, Funk moves from ice cream to ice dream.
