Zachary Aston-Reese (born August 10, 1994) is an American 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 ...

forward with 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 ...

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). He previously played with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and Anaheim Ducks. Prior to turning professional, Aston-Reese played for Northeastern University. He was named a Hobey Baker hat trick finalist, Hockey East First-Team All-Star, and won Hockey East Player of the Year.

Playing career

Early career

While playing for the New Jersey Rockets of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL) during the 2010–11 season, Aston-Reese also appeared in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

(USHL). He played two games for the

Des Moines Buccaneers The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team has played in the Western Conference since the 2009–10 season. History The Buccaneers began USHL play during the 1980–81 season ...

, as well as 25 games for the

Lincoln Stars The Lincoln Stars are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Stars' home ice is the Ice Box on the former Nebraska State Fair grounds and adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. History ...

. Aston-Reese joined the Stars full-time for the 2011–12 season. In 53 games, he recorded 5 goals and 10 assists. After one more season with the Stars, Aston-Reese joined the Division 1

Northeastern Huskies The Northeastern Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey (in Hockey East); men's baseball, men's and women's basketball ...

. He played for the club for four seasons. During the 2015–16 season, the Huskies won the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

Tournament championship. The following season, Aston-Reese was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team,

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

First All-American Team, and the Hockey East Player of the Year.

Professional

Pittsburgh Penguins

On March 14, 2017, Aston-Reese, as an undrafted player, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the

. He joined the Penguins

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) affiliate, the

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barr ...

for the remainder of the season, recording eight points in ten games. Aston-Reese started the 2017–18 season in the minors, but made his NHL debut on February 3, 2018 against the New Jersey Devils. He recorded his first two NHL goals in a 6–3 win over the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

on February 13. On February 27, Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury during practice. He returned to the Penguins' lineup on March 27 after missing 13 games. Aston-Reese made his

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

debut on April 11, 2018 against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

. On April 18, he recorded his first career playoff point, assisting on a goal by

Riley Sheahan Riley Michael Sheahan (born December 7, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for EHC Biel of the National League (NL). He was drafted 21st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Sheahan has previously played ...

. During Game 3 of Round 2 against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, Aston-Reese was checked by Tom Wilson, resulting in a broken jaw and a concussion. Wilson was suspended three playoff games for the hit. Prior to the beginning of the 2018–19 season, Aston-Reese was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. However, he was called to the NHL on November 6, after he recorded six goals in 11 games. Aston-Reese managed to score six goals and eleven points in his next 30 games, but he broke his hand in a game against the Florida Panthers on January 8, 2019. On July 22, 2019, the Penguins re-signed Aston-Reese to a two-year, $2 million contract extension. As a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

after the 2020-2021 season, Aston-Reese filed for salary arbitration with the Penguins. The arbitration hearing was scheduled for August 23, 2021. On August 5, 2021, the Penguins re-signed Aston-Reese to a one-year, $1.725 million contract, avoiding the arbitration hearing.

Anaheim Ducks

On March 21, 2022, Aston-Reese was traded by Pittsburgh, along with Dominik Simon, prospect Calle Clang, and a second round draft choice to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Rickard Rakell.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ahead of the

2022–23 NHL season The 2022–23 NHL season is the 106th season of operation (105th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began on October 7, 2022, when the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators played the first of two games ...

, Aston-Reese joined the Toronto Maple Leafs for a professional tryout. Following a successful pre-season showing, Aston-Reese was signed to a one-year, $840,000 contract with the Maple Leafs on October 9, 2022. He got his first goal as a Maple Leaf in their 5-2 win against the

on November 2.

Personal life

Aston-Reese was born on August 10, 1994 in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

borough of Staten Island. He is the third child of William Sr. and Carolyn (née Buckheit). He has two older siblings: a sister, and a brother named William Jr. Aston-Reese was a graphic design major in college and has occasionally worked in the Penguins' front office on the design of gameday programs.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aston-Reese, Zach 1994 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey forwards Anaheim Ducks players Des Moines Buccaneers players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Lincoln Stars players Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey players Pittsburgh Penguins players Toronto Maple Leafs players Undrafted National Hockey League players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players