From Montreal to the First Round: The Rising Story of Bill Zonnon
By: Carson Phillips
Earlier this fall, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL) forward Bill Zonnon sat down with Dean Barnes from the MyHockeyHero podcast (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music) to discuss the story behind his remarkable hockey journey.
For the Montreal native, hockey has always been more than a sport. It has been a source of pride for his family, a place where he discovered his competitive identity, and a pathway that transformed a driven young athlete into a first-round QMJHL draft pick and NHL prospect. Zonnon’s hockey journey has carried him across Québec, from a childhood filled with sports to playoff runs with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, and now to a homecoming season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Zonnon is the son of parents from Togo, a West African nation that has shaped the values he carries into rinks across the province. His parents moved to Canada in their mid-twenties to pursue their education, eventually building a life in Montréal where Bill was raised.
Like so many young players, Zonnon learned the game on local rinks and through local teams. He remembers the gradual climb through the age groups and the moment the sport started to feel real. One memory stands above the rest: competing in the Québec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Montreal Nationals.
“That was huge,” the 19-year-old centreman recounted. “It is the biggest tournament in the world. Just getting to play against other countries, being in that atmosphere, and doing it with your childhood friends. It is something I will remember for a long time.”
Even with the excitement of the tournament, Zonnon says their team did not advance far and he did not feel he played his best; still, the experience is one he treasures.
Deep down, he always believed he had talent, but the moment things felt possible arrived years later at the QMJHL Draft.
“Getting drafted in the first round definitely helped me believe I could make it to the NHL one day,” he said. “Going top ten [in the QMJHL Draft] was unreal. That was really the start of my journey towards the NHL.”
Zonnon spent his first three junior seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Those years included steady improvement, playoff experience, and veteran mentors who helped him grow.
“My first year was an adjustment for me,” he said. “I did not know too much about the league. My second year was on a really good team with great guys. Last year was my draft year in the NHL and it was a huge year for me with a big role on the team. So, every year was different, but overall, the memories I had with my old team were incredible.”
His confidence changed as he matured. He learned how to handle long seasons, setbacks and expectations.
“You go through a lot during these long seasons,” he said. “Every year for training camp, I came back with a different mindset. That is what helped me grow as a player and as a person.”
Last year, Zonnon made a significant change in his game, switching positions.
The adjustment came at the same time his career was moving in a new direction off the ice as well. This past summer, Zonnon was traded to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada — a move that brought him closer to his family and placed him on a team with high expectations.
“Their goal this year is to win early and hopefully make it to the Memorial Cup,” he said.
While he was adapting to a new position and a new team, another milestone soon followed. In June, Zonnon achieved every hockey player’s dream and one of the biggest moments of his life when the Pittsburgh Penguins called his name in the first round of the NHL Draft.
“That moment was unreal for my family,” he shared about his experience last June. “All my life, that is what I wanted, and we all worked so hard to get there. Hearing my name called was the best moment of my life, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
He had meetings with almost every team throughout the year and attended the NHL Combine, where he met with more than two dozen clubs. Even though Pittsburgh had shown strong interest, he tried not to assume anything.
“I knew Pittsburgh was really interested, but during the season you hear all kinds of stuff,” shared Zonnon. “You do not want to get your hopes too high or too low. I was just happy to hear my name called by such a great organization.”
When asked about any coaches or teammates that helped to elevate his game, Zonnon credited his junior coaches as well as his former billet brother Dyllan Gill.
“Every coach I’ve had in my junior career so far has helped me a lot,” he said. “My billet brother Dyllan Gill [Rouyn Noranda Huskies / QMJHL alumnus and Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick] was great to me. I’ve had so many people help me be here, and I definitely wouldn’t be here without those guys.”
Beyond the coaches and teammates who shaped his game, Zonnon also drew inspiration from players he watched growing up. As a native of Montréal, Zonnon was especially inspired at a young age by NHL All-Star defenceman P.K. Subban, a Belleville Bulls (OHL) alumnus.
“I was probably six or seven when I first watched him,” he said. “He was so fun to watch, and he could get people out of their seats. I started playing because of him [P.K. Subban], and not only him, but just the whole [Montréal Canadiens] team.”
He also admired Wayne Simmonds, an OHL alumnus of the Owen Sound Attack and Soo Greyhounds.
As his own career progressed, those early influences were complemented by relationships with peers following similar paths. When asked about his relationships and connections with other players of colour, Zonnon highlighted a close friend, Noah Warren, a fellow Montrealer and former Gatineau Olympiques and Victoriaville Tigres defenceman.
“We have a great relationship,” Zonnon said. “We work out together during the summer, and now that he is in the American Hockey League, I still follow him. We talk here and there. For me to have a mentor like that was great, and he’s a great person for me to learn from.”
In time, Zonnon began to realize that he was becoming that kind of example for others. As the Penguins’ first-rounder became a high-level player, he started to see his own influence on younger fans.
“After I got drafted, I was getting a lot of messages from people telling me that they started playing hockey because of me or that I was the reason they kept pushing,” he said. “Up north, where I was playing, I saw a lot of Black people wearing my jersey. So that was definitely nice.
“I try to do my best out there, and just be myself,” he added. “If I am able to impact other people, then I’ll take it.”
That mindset also shapes how he approaches his own development. Today, Zonnon is focused on sharpening his skating and preparing for the jump to professional hockey.
“A big focus for me would be my skating, just being more agile and more powerful,” he said. The game is so fast, and being a good skater really helps in multiple areas. So, I want to make sure that I’m ready to play at the next level.”
When asked what message he would share with young players across Canada, Zonnon did not hesitate.
“The advice I always use for myself is to always be yourself,” he said. “I am not playing hockey for anyone else. I am doing it for myself, and I am going to do it my way. Not caring what other people think is the best way to do it.”
His goal for next year is clear. After this junior season, he wants to take the next step in his professional career.
“The goal next year is definitely to make the jump to the next level,” he said.
With his confidence growing, his development on track, and his sights set firmly on the future, Zonnon is ready for whatever comes next.
It’s clear that Bill Zonnon’s story is still being written — and the best chapters are yet to come.
As part of the CHL’s continued efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport of hockey, the CHL along with its Member Leagues (Western Hockey League / WHL, Ontario Hockey League / OHL, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League / QMJHL) are working alongside Dean Barnes and his My Hockey Hero podcast (available on all major podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music) to tell stories of Indigenous and racialized players as a way to help expose more fans to the growing impact that people of colour are having on the game of hockey.
To view clips from various episodes and guests on the My Hockey Hero Podcast, be sure to check out the podcast on Instagram @myhockeyhero_. To see some of the unique hockey cards found in Barnes’ extensive collection, be sure to follow @diversityhockeycards on Instagram. You can also visit MyHockeyHero.com for more about Dean Barnes, the MyHockeyHero podcast, and more.
