Austin Zemlak excited to continue growing his game in Tri-City
Austin Zemlak was in between coaching sessions with minor hockey players in Stony Plain, Alberta when he received a phone call from Victoria Royals general manager Jake Heisinger.
“I have about 20 minutes in between ice sessions and that’s when I got the call,” he said. “I was pretty shocked, it was a quick call because he knew I didn’t have a lot of time until my next session. He just told me that I had been traded to Tri-City and that was kind of it.”
Drafted ninth overall by the Royals in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Zemlak skated in 147 games with Victoria since 2021.
The initial shock wore off as Zemlak began to think about moving forward with a new team.
“I guess it’s sort of like a fresh start, going to a new team,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity. You get to meet all new players, coaches and staff members. After I had some time to take it all in and think about it, I’m just excited and look forward to meeting the fans.”
Zemlak’s 2023-24 season was his best yet in the WHL as he shattered his previous career highs with six goals and 16 assists in 50 games.
While hoping to have an even better year offensively in 2024-25, Zemlak says he’s hoping to be an impactful player in every aspect for the Americans.
“I certainly want to keep growing the offensive side of my game,” he said. “At the same time, I want to continue being that steady, shut-down defenseman that I think I’ve been for most of my career. Last year was the good step in the right direction for my offensive game, being almost half-a-point per game. Being an veteran guy I also want to be a bit of a leader for some of the young guys coming into the league and making sure they’re comfortable.”
A strong year with the Royals caught the attention of the Vegas Golden Knights who invited Zemlak to their development camp just moments after the 2024 NHL Draft ended.
The disappointment of not being selected quickly faded as Zemlak had the opportunity to show his growth with Vegas.
“I’ve been working my whole life to get an opportunity like that,” he said. “It was such a great experience. We played a few inter squad game had a few practices and workouts to see what it’s like at that next level.”
Coming to a new team can be a difficult transition but having prior relationships with a few players will help Zemlak make it a seamless move.
“I’ve skated with Jackson Smith and Jake Sloan before, so I know those two,” he said. “And I’ve heard nothing but good things from former players like Marc Lajoie, he and I work out at the same gym in the offseason, so I’ve talked to him about it.”
Having played several games in the U.S. Division, Zemlak needed no heads up about the raucous crowds the division features and says that’s one of the things he’s most excited about heading into training camp.
“All the U.S. Division teams have such great fan bases,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the fans and experiencing what it’s like to be on the home side of the crowd in Tri-City.”
He plans on doing his part to help the crowd at the Toyota Center get on their feet.
“I want to be a player that’s hard to play against,” he said. “I’ll throw some hits and block some shots in the defensive zone and continue to expand my offensive game. Last year I took a big step, jumping up in the play, getting shots through from the line. Those are the main things fans can expect from me.”
