Pavel Zacha (born 6 April 1997) is a Czech professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Zacha was selected sixth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Zacha played in the 2009 and 2010

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with his

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from Chomutov. Zacha made his

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga ( cs, Extraliga ledního hokeje, ELH) is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created by the 1993 split of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League following the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The le ...

debut playing with

HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Bílí Tygři Liberec (English: ''Liberec White Tigers'') are a professional ice hockey club based in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest level of play in professional Czech ice hockey. History The firs ...

during the 2013–14 Czech Extraliga season. In the 2014 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, Zacha was selected first overall by the

Sarnia Sting Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

(OHL). He joined the Sting for the 2014–15 season, recording 34 points in 37 games. Zacha followed up in final season with the Sting recording 64 points in 51 games, OHL coaches awarded Zacha best penalty-killer in the Western Conference after his 2015–16 season. In 2014, 2015, 2016 Zacha competed in the IIHF World Junior Championship with the Czech Republic. Zacha was ranked eighth for North American skaters by the

NHL Central Scouting Bureau The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League that ranks prospects for the NHL Entry Draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate to the profe ...

for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected sixth overall by the New Jersey Devils. On 11 August 2015, the Devils signed Zacha to a three-year, entry-level contract. He returned to the Sting for the 2015–16 season. Soon after the Sting season ended, Zacha joined the Devils. He made his NHL debut on 9 April 2016, recording two assists in a 5–1 win over the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. Zacha made the Devils' lineup for the 2016–17 season. He scored his first NHL goal on 3 November 2016 in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. He finished the season with eight goals and 24 points in 70 games. After going pointless in ten games to start the 2018–19 season, Zacha was assigned to the

Binghamton Devils The Binghamton Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2017 to 2021 as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New Jersey Devils. Based in Binghamton, New Y ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) on 2 November 2018. On 10 September 2019, Zacha signed a three-year extension with the Devils. During the 2019–20 season Zacha recorded 32 points, a personal NHL career high. On 13 July 2022, Zacha as a restricted free agent was traded by the Devils to the

in exchange for

Erik Haula Erik Haula (born 23 March 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panther ...

. In avoiding arbitration with the Bruins, Zacha was later signed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract for the 2022–23 season on 8 August 2022. On 14 January 2023, Zacha was signed to a four-year contract extension by the Bruins.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zacha, Pavel 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 National Hockey League first-round draft picks New Jersey Devils draft picks New Jersey Devils players Sarnia Sting players