Keep an Eye on Zach Werenski

Hockey wunderkind Werenski, 19, has only played 24 professional games, but he’s already a champion. The Columbus Blue Jackets eighth-overall draft pick debuted for the Lake Erie Monsters April 1 and scored five goals during the team’s run to an AHL title. The prospect is likely to net some time with the Blue Jackets this year. Rink time: Werenski only played seven regular season games but scored a deciding overtime goal in the second round of the playoffs to advance into the next round. “Once we got in the playoffs, I felt like I was part of the team,” he says. “That’s a big reason why I had some success.” Power play: Werenski’s youth hockey coach, former Detroit Red Wings star Doug Brown, imparted two valuable lessons. “He taught me to skate and to keep my head up,” he says. “It’s something I take with me wherever I go.” College try: The Michigan native could have gone pro after his freshman year at the University of Michigan but he came back for a sophomore stint. “I just thought it was right for me to develop as a person and a player,” he says.