Pavel Zacha
Pavel Zacha | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 6, 1997 Brno, Czech Republic |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Playing for Boston Bruins in the NHL |
Pavel Zacha (born 6 April 1997) is a Czech professional ice hockey athlete currently playing for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the sixth overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Amateur
Zacha took part in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing his youth team from Chomutov.
He made his first appearance in the Czech Extraliga with HC Bílí Tygři Liberec during the 2013–14 campaign.
Selected first overall in the 2014 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft by the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Zacha tallied 34 points over 37 games in the 2014–15 season and elevated his production to 64 points across 51 contests the following year. For the 2015–16 season, OHL coaches honored him as the premier penalty-killer in the Western Conference.
Zacha wore the Czech Republic jersey at the IIHF World Junior Championship tournaments in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
New Jersey Devils
Ranked eighth among North American prospects by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ahead of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Zacha was selected sixth overall by the New Jersey Devils. On 11 August 2015, he inked a three-year entry-level deal with New Jersey. He returned to play for Sarnia during the 2015–16 OHL season, then joined the Devils for their postseason run, making his NHL debut on 9 April 2016 and contributing two assists in a 5–1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Zacha secured a spot on New Jersey’s roster for the 2016–17 NHL season, netting his inaugural NHL goal on 3 November 2016. He concluded that season with eight goals and a total of 24 points over 70 games. Following a sluggish start to the 2018–19 NHL season, he was reassigned to the Binghamton Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL) on 2 November 2018.
On 10 September 2019, Zacha agreed to a three-year contract extension with New Jersey. During the 2019–20 season, he achieved a personal best with 32 points in NHL play.
Boston Bruins
On 13 July 2022, Zacha was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Erik Haula. To avoid arbitration, he signed a one-year contract worth $3.5 million for the 2022–23 NHL season on 8 August 2022.
While with Boston, Zacha thrived as a winger on the first line alongside veterans Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, surpassing previous career highs in goals, assists, and total points. On 14 January 2023, he secured a four-year contract extension. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games, producing 21 goals and 36 assists (57 points), and added six assists through seven playoff contests.
Following offseason retirements of prominent centers David Krejčí and Patrice Bergeron in summer 2023, Zacha assumed a leading role as one of Boston’s primary centers, switching between positions during the ongoing 2023–24 campaign. After an impressive run tallying five goals and two assists over four games, he earned recognition as NHL Second Star of the Week in March. He matched his previous season’s goal total (21) while setting new personal records with 38 assists and total points.
As the team entered the 2024–25 NHL season, Zacha transitioned back to top-line wing, playing alongside new center Elias Lindholm and winger David Pastrňák. Despite early offensive challenges for both himself and Boston, he accumulated nine goals and nine assists by December before moving back to center to enhance scoring output. Although his form improved subsequently, Boston failed to qualify for postseason play. Zacha finished with totals of 14 goals and 33 assists—the lowest since joining the Bruins.
International competition
Following the Bruins' exit from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Zacha took part in the 2024 IIHF World Championship representing the Czech Republic, marking his first national team appearance in a decade. He netted the sole goal in the 1-0 quarterfinal triumph against the United States, playing a key role in securing the Czech Republic's gold medal.
On 16 June 2025, Zacha was announced as one of the initial six players chosen to represent the Czech Republic for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE U18 | 36 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE U20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE U18 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE U20 | 39 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Benátky nad Jizerou | Czech.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE U20 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 64 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | ELH | 38 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | |||||||
| 2013–14 | HC Benátky nad Jizerou | Czech.1 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |||||||
| 2014–15 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 37 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 56 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 51 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 97 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 2015–16 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Albany Devils | AHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 70 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 61 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 15 | |||||||
| 2018–19 | Binghamton Devils | AHL | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |||||||
| 2019–20 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 65 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 14 | |||||||
| 2020–21 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 50 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 10 | |||||||
| 2021–22 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 70 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 22 | |||||||
| 2022–23 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 82 | 21 | 36 | 57 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 21 | 38 | 59 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 82 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 21 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 628 | 125 | 217 | 342 | 165 | 25 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 12 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Czech Republic | U18 | 7th place | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Czech Republic | IH18 | Template:Bronze3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | WJC | 6th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | U18 | Template:Silver2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2015 | Czech Republic | WJC | 6th place | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Czech Republic | U18 | 6th place | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 | |
| Czech Republic | WJC | 5th place | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Czechia | WC | Template:Gold1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 34 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 20 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award Title | Year Awarded |
|---|
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1997 births
- Living people
- Albany Devils players
- Binghamton Devils players
- Boston Bruins players
- Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
- Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Czech ice hockey centres
- HC Benátky nad Jizerou players
- HC Bílí Tygři Liberec players
- Ice hockey people from Brno
- NHL first-round draft picks
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- Sarnia Sting players
- 21st-century Czech sportsmen