Dean’s on-ice education is taking him places
When Zach Dean made his way to the Gatineau Olympiques, he was known as an offensive star. The fourth overall selection at the 2019 QMJHL Draft had been putting the puck in the net from his earliest days in the Mount Pearl, Newfoundland Minor Hockey Association.
However, major junior has been, as it is for most other players, a learning experience. One that Dean, as a student of the game, has embraced.
“In the time I’ve had [Olympiques’ Head Coach Louis Robitaille] as a coach, he’s really helped me mature in how I play the game,” Dean explains. “I’ve really turned into a 200-foot player thanks to him. I’ve realized how I’m going to play and how I’m going to make it farther, and that’s the way I’m playing now.”
The dimensions added to the 19-year-old’s game have made him one of the toughest players to face in the Q. A speedy, dependable, two-way force, Dean has grown with the group he skates with throughout the season. As the Olympiques have made their way up the league standings, their star center’s stock has rose right along with it.
First, it was as a selection by the Vegas Golden Knights, 30th overall, at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Now, it’s as a member of Team Canada’s entry at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and part of a checking line that was a talking point before the puck ever dropped on this year’s event.
When asked about his ability to successfully apply his game to such a fast-paced environment, Dean’s smile makes it obvious he’s happy to expand upon the topic.
“Everyone on this team is so good, obviously,” he points out. “I’m playing the same style as I do in the Q, though. Sometimes the situations aren’t quite the same as what you face outside the tournament, but I find if you just do what you usually do it makes it a little easier. That gritty side of the game is what I’m known for, plus being able to contribute a bit offensively. I take pride in being able to do all of this.”
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – DECEMBER 26: Canada’s Zach Dean #14 stretches in the warm-up zone prior to Preliminary Round – Group A action against Czechia at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on December 26, 2022 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)
“Gaucher, Dean and Roy were our best line from day one of camp, even in practice,” Team Canada Assistant Coach Stephane Julien adds in regards to the trio that was broken up upon Roy’s promotion partway through the event. “Dean is the speed guy, really high energy. He’s very good at setting the tone.”
Before he was putting his skill on display for the rest of the nation, Dean was making headlines in Canada’s youngest province. He hasn’t been the only one, either; Dean’s presence at this year’s tournament makes it three times over the past four completed World Juniors in which a Newfoundlander has donned the maple leaf. It’s a fact not lost on him.
“I think it’s great for the province,” Dean states. “We’ve seen a lot of very good players come from there but there are also some great programs that are helping guys get to that point. [Development] has to start somewhere and I think now, you’re seeing a lot more of that, which is something Newfoundland can be proud of.”
Pride and the rock are two things that are never separated. And with Dean using all he has learned in an attempt to find his place in tournament lore, those feelings will only grow stronger.
