"You wouldn't call him a one-dimensional player, but he's a sniper. He likes to score," said Tony MacDonald, the head of amateur scouting for the Hurricanes. "He likes to have the puck on his stick in situations that call for big goals. He did that all year long in Halifax."
In his first and perhaps only season in the QMJHL, Zadina led all rookies in goals, assists and points. His 44 goals ranked tied for third amongst all skaters in the league, and his 33 even-strength markers ranked tied for second in the league.
Filip, the son of longtime Czech pro Marek Zadina, was awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's top professional prospect and was named to the league's first All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team.
Though Halifax - a club that has also produced names like Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nico Hischier, to name a few - was ousted in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs, Zadina continued to produce at a high clip. He ranked tied for first on the team in goals (5), assists (7) and points (12) in seven playoff games.
"He was good in the playoffs, as well," MacDonald said. "He knows how to get open and make himself available to the puck. He's got a great release."
In addition to his elite goal-scoring abilities, Zadina would be an intriguing option for the Hurricanes after his performance at the 2018 World Junior Championship alongside top prospect Martin Necas.
Though the Czechs fell to Team USA in the bronze medal match, Zadina and Necas were a force in the tournament. Zadina scored at a goal-per-game pace with seven goals in as many games, which ranked tied for second among all tournament players. He also added an assist for a total of eight points, second on the team to linemate Necas, who recorded a tournament-high 11 points (3g, 8a).
"He did have a very good World Junior playing with Marty," McDonald said. "He had some good chemistry with Necas."
After his breakout performance at the World Juniors and his stellar rookie season in the QMJHL, Zadina - ranked third among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Service - figures to be one of the first forwards selected in the 2018 NHL Draft.
"This guy is a goal scorer," MacDonald said. "Goal scorers are hard to find in today's game. He's also a very good competitor."
