Ostapchuk’s puck control abilities are truly fantastic in small spaces. He can coral loose pucks and redirect it to open ice or away from pressure. It’s very tough to find that level of finesse with someone his size. In board battles, he’s able to use his frame to secure enough space to let his stick…
| DATE | PLAYER | NAME | LEAGUE | AUTHOR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7/22 | Ostapchuk Zack | 23387 – Kamloops vs. Vancouver | WHL | by Joel Henderson | View Report |
| Apr 3/21 | Ostapchuk Zack | 21887 – Victoria vs. Vancouver | WHL | by Justin Froese | View Report |
| Feb 10/21 | Ostapchuk Zack | 21701 – Vancouver vs. Victoria | WHL | by Joel Henderson | View Report |
| Dec 12/20 | Ostapchuk Zack | 21443 – Spokane vs. Vancouver | WHL | by Justin Froese | View Report |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PPG | +/- | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | Belleville Senators | ahl | 29 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 0.34 | 1 | 17 |
| 2022-2023 | Vancouver Giants | whl | 21 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 1.38 | 9 | 20 |
| 2022-2023 | Winnipeg Ice | whl | 34 | 21 | 17 | 38 | 1.12 | 19 | 26 |
| 2021-2022 | Vancouver Giants | whl | 60 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 0.72 | -5 | 58 |
| 2020-2021 | Vancouver Giants | whl | 22 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0.73 | -3 | 26 |
| 2019-2020 | Vancouver Giants | whl | 44 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0.18 | -2 | 14 |
| 2018-2019 | Vancouver Giants | whl | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ostapchuk’s puck control abilities are truly fantastic in small spaces. He can coral loose pucks and redirect it to open ice or away from pressure. It’s very tough to find that level of finesse with someone his size. In board battles, he’s able to use his frame to secure enough space to let his stick do all the work. Those interactions are usually controlled by him. When he’s around the net, he is always dangerous too because his hand speed is terrific and he’s able to tip and redirect shots or passes coming through. His skating stride is long too therefore when he truly gets going, his strength and foot speed are wonderful. He’s not a perfect skater as he seems to pivot on his heel instead of toe from time to time, but the ability to play a more dynamic skating game enables him to attack on angles, use lateral shifts and use width to his game instead of a pure north mentality. He’s better at protecting pucks and getting his hands to hips so he can make more efficient plays or carry pucks and he is able to capitalize with more consistency as a result. He has issues using dexterity and controlling pucks at times but is getting himself into areas where he can catch and release pucks. He is very active in high danger areas and around the net, playing hard for 50/50 pucks and generating confusion with defenders by showing good speed variations. He’ll need to show more awareness off the puck as he does get lost in the rush or amongst checks and is either put in a vulnerable position or in a position to get a bad puck. He provides good presence on the forecheck and does well to try and control puck flow but can take himself out of positions by trying to play a physical game and shows areas of immaturity. The biggest let down is that he is so good at drawing pressure and finding teammates with a pass that he hardly ever controls the puck in any zone for a long period of time. Moving forward, it will be important to see him taking advantage of opportunities to drive possession with the puck on his stick through the neutral zone. The stick and route selection could improve as well.
