PROSPECT PROFILE: Connor Zary

EDMONTON, AB - Well, if his first name is any indication...
Kamloops Blazers forward Connor Zary may not have taken Canadian major junior hockey by storm quite as much as his namesake McDavid, but the Saskatoon native is locked in as one of the top prospects for next week's NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-0, 181-pound, left-shot centreman is NHL Central Scouting's 15th-ranked North American skater heading into the 2020 draft, with the first round slated for Tuesday evening and the Oilers holding the 14th-overall pick.
Zary scored 38 goals and 48 assists in 57 games with the Blazers in 2019-20, with his 86 points putting him in a tie for fifth in Western Hockey League scoring during the abbreviated season that saw Kamloops finish atop the B.C. Division.
"Connor has been a good player in the WHL for some time now, but this year I wanted to see him take a step and be a dominant player," John Williams of NHL Central Scouting told NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "He can beat you one-on-one, reads the play well and is real good on the penalty kill. He's more quick than fast, and is elusive in tight."
Zary scored four goals and three assists in seven games with Hockey Canada at the 2019 World U-18 Championship and was part of the national program's virtual camp this summer for the upcoming World Juniors, which will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton.