Bill Zonnon got into Hershey, Pa., about two hours before puck drop of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's May 7 date with the Bears, Game 4 of the AHL's Atlantic Division semifinals.
Zonnon, one of the Penguins' three first-round picks last summer, had just flown in from Montreal after his Blainville-Boisbriand Armada got eliminated in the QMJHL's conference final round. With there being such little time before the game, he of course wouldn't make his pro debut that night. But the staff took the opportunity to sit down and give him a brief rundown of the systems, so he could have those in mind while watching the game.
"He knew everything already," Wilkes-Barre coach Kirk MacDonald told me, shaking his head. "The kid's dialed in."
Zonnon told me after Wilkes-Barre's practice on Thursday that he knew he would be joining Wilkes-Barre once his junior season ended, and so he wanted to be prepared. The organization uses the Teamworks app, where he could access video, and scouting reports down to the minutiae like what to know about Hershey's forwards in faceoffs.
"Whatever I could watch, I did," Zonnon said. "I spent a good amount of time just doing that. I mean, I had nothing else to do on the airplane, and at the airport."
Wilkes-Barre eliminated Hershey that night, sending the Penguins through to the Atlantic Division final against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Then in the second period of Game 1, in Zonnon's pro debut, he did this:
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 13, 2026
That goal stood as the game-winner in Wilkes-Barre's 2-0 win.
"I didn't know when (the first goal) was going to come," Zonnon said. "But I just knew that if I believed in myself, play with confidence, good things are going to happen. So that was pretty much my mindset going into my first (pro) year."
Zonnon again opened the scoring for Game 2, this time on the power play:
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 20, 2026
Zonnon is now six games into his pro career centering Wilkes-Barre's fourth line, and he has four points -- three goals, one assist.
He felt as if his homework and preparation helped ease the transition into the AHL, but it couldn't replace the experience of playing in the games.
"I still felt like I had to learn on the ice," he said. "It's one thing to know the systems off the ice, but you've still got to get used to it on the ice and be able to read off your teammates and just being comfortable on the ice. So I definitely think it helped me, especially in the first practice, first game. But after that, I just felt like I got better as games went on."
The speed and strength of the opponents have been the biggest adjustments for Zonnon going from junior to the AHL -- "They're older, they're stronger, they're probably better at everything" compared to what he's used to playing against in the QMJHL.
What has impressed the coaching staff in Wilkes-Barre is the growth Zonnon has shown so far. It's only been six games, but the confidence and ability Zonnon has shown has grown in that short period of time.
"Even in his first game, I thought you could tell he was kind of dipping his toe under the water a little bit and trying to get comfortable," MacDonald said. "And you could even see through his first game, as the shifts in the period went on, he was getting more and more confident. He's been doing a great job. He's great on the power play, makes great reads. He's good on both sides of the puck. To me, every game he's played, he's gotten a little bit better. There's a little bit more confidence, a little bit more pace. His decision making, everything's just improving. Guys with that hockey IQ, you can see them grow by the day."
It's not uncommon for top prospects like Zonnon to join their AHL teams after their seasons end in junior, college, Europe or wherever they're coming from. You might see a bit of offense from the forwards, you're probably going to see even more mistakes as part of the learning process. The circumstances of Zonnon joining the team were tough -- because the Armada had such a long run in the QMJHL playoffs, Zonnon was getting thrown right into the division finals with minimal practice time. He's 19 years old, one of the younger players in these playoffs at this point.
What isn't common is how quickly Zonnon started producing, or the rate at which he's been producing, or the minimal mistakes he's making on the other side of the puck.
"You know, I would be lying if I said that coming in I'd have this impact in all the games I've played," Zonnon said. "But I still feel like I've got more, though. As the series goes on, it gets tougher and tougher, so I need to get better and improve every game as well. I'm pretty satisfied with the way I've been playing. But I've got more, and I know I'll be better moving forward too."
WBS PENGUINS
Bill Zonnon in Game 1 of the AHL's Eastern Conference final Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
The offseason still might be a ways off for Zonnon and the rest of Wilkes-Barre, now down 1-0 to the Toronto Marlies in the Eastern Conference final. Whenever the end of the season does come, Zonnon wants to focus on his skating first and foremost after seeing how quick the pro game is, but thinks he needs to improve "everything" ahead of his first pro season.
Zonnon is listed at 6 foot 2 and 190 pounds, up five pounds from what the NHL measured him as weighing at the combine ahead of his draft last summer. He's big for his age, and he came in with above-average strength in some ways -- his 16 pull-ups at the combine were the most of any player at the combine last summer, and tied for the sixth-most in NHL combine history since it was added to the fitness testing in 2015. Zonnon wants to keep getting stronger this summer, too, but said it's "not really something I'm worried about."
"Every summer I put on from five to 10 pounds," he explained. "So, I get stronger every summer. It's going to be a main focus again. I mean, it's just a question of working hard, having a good plan. I know I've got some good people back home that help me get through that."
The Penguins aren't exactly worried about Zonnon having a big offseason, either. He's shown what kind of work ethic he has, evident from the moment he joined the team having studied the systems like he was cramming for a test. That mentality Zonnon has shows in everything he does.
"He's the utmost pro," MacDonald said. "For a 19 year old, he's wise beyond his years. He puts in the work all the time. He's a relentless worker, and in every facet -- the video systems, in the gym, on the ice. He's doing a great job."
It seems like a stretch to pencil in Zonnon for a spot coming out of camp next year, at least a full-time spot. He's eligible to play full-time in the AHL next season, so there's no dilemma in which they have to decide whether to play him in the NHL or send him back to junior. He could start next season in Wilkes-Barre and work his way up mid-season.
But at the same time, it was probably a "stretch" to pencil Zonnon's fellow 2025 first-round pick Ben Kindel into a full-time NHL gig this time last year, but Kindel sure earned that.
Who is to say Zonnon can't follow in Kindel's footsteps?
"Seeing younger guys going up there, doing their own thing, getting some good ice time, you can tell that coaching staff up there believes in those young guys to come in and play their games," Zonnon said. "So, I do think that one of these days, it might be me that's going to go up there and do my own thing."
THE ASYLUM
'Dialed in' Zonnon proving ready for pro hockey
Bill Zonnon got into Hershey, Pa., about two hours before puck drop of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's May 7 date with the Bears, Game 4 of the AHL's Atlantic Division semifinals.
Zonnon, one of the Penguins' three first-round picks last summer, had just flown in from Montreal after his Blainville-Boisbriand Armada got eliminated in the QMJHL's conference final round. With there being such little time before the game, he of course wouldn't make his pro debut that night. But the staff took the opportunity to sit down and give him a brief rundown of the systems, so he could have those in mind while watching the game.
"He knew everything already," Wilkes-Barre coach Kirk MacDonald told me, shaking his head. "The kid's dialed in."
Zonnon told me after Wilkes-Barre's practice on Thursday that he knew he would be joining Wilkes-Barre once his junior season ended, and so he wanted to be prepared. The organization uses the Teamworks app, where he could access video, and scouting reports down to the minutiae like what to know about Hershey's forwards in faceoffs.
"Whatever I could watch, I did," Zonnon said. "I spent a good amount of time just doing that. I mean, I had nothing else to do on the airplane, and at the airport."
Wilkes-Barre eliminated Hershey that night, sending the Penguins through to the Atlantic Division final against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Then in the second period of Game 1, in Zonnon's pro debut, he did this:
That goal stood as the game-winner in Wilkes-Barre's 2-0 win.
"I didn't know when (the first goal) was going to come," Zonnon said. "But I just knew that if I believed in myself, play with confidence, good things are going to happen. So that was pretty much my mindset going into my first (pro) year."
Zonnon again opened the scoring for Game 2, this time on the power play:
And then in Game 3, Zonnon scored a goal in the third that stood to be the game-winner again:
Zonnon is now six games into his pro career centering Wilkes-Barre's fourth line, and he has four points -- three goals, one assist.
He felt as if his homework and preparation helped ease the transition into the AHL, but it couldn't replace the experience of playing in the games.
"I still felt like I had to learn on the ice," he said. "It's one thing to know the systems off the ice, but you've still got to get used to it on the ice and be able to read off your teammates and just being comfortable on the ice. So I definitely think it helped me, especially in the first practice, first game. But after that, I just felt like I got better as games went on."
The speed and strength of the opponents have been the biggest adjustments for Zonnon going from junior to the AHL -- "They're older, they're stronger, they're probably better at everything" compared to what he's used to playing against in the QMJHL.
What has impressed the coaching staff in Wilkes-Barre is the growth Zonnon has shown so far. It's only been six games, but the confidence and ability Zonnon has shown has grown in that short period of time.
"Even in his first game, I thought you could tell he was kind of dipping his toe under the water a little bit and trying to get comfortable," MacDonald said. "And you could even see through his first game, as the shifts in the period went on, he was getting more and more confident. He's been doing a great job. He's great on the power play, makes great reads. He's good on both sides of the puck. To me, every game he's played, he's gotten a little bit better. There's a little bit more confidence, a little bit more pace. His decision making, everything's just improving. Guys with that hockey IQ, you can see them grow by the day."
It's not uncommon for top prospects like Zonnon to join their AHL teams after their seasons end in junior, college, Europe or wherever they're coming from. You might see a bit of offense from the forwards, you're probably going to see even more mistakes as part of the learning process. The circumstances of Zonnon joining the team were tough -- because the Armada had such a long run in the QMJHL playoffs, Zonnon was getting thrown right into the division finals with minimal practice time. He's 19 years old, one of the younger players in these playoffs at this point.
What isn't common is how quickly Zonnon started producing, or the rate at which he's been producing, or the minimal mistakes he's making on the other side of the puck.
"You know, I would be lying if I said that coming in I'd have this impact in all the games I've played," Zonnon said. "But I still feel like I've got more, though. As the series goes on, it gets tougher and tougher, so I need to get better and improve every game as well. I'm pretty satisfied with the way I've been playing. But I've got more, and I know I'll be better moving forward too."
WBS PENGUINS
Bill Zonnon in Game 1 of the AHL's Eastern Conference final Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
The offseason still might be a ways off for Zonnon and the rest of Wilkes-Barre, now down 1-0 to the Toronto Marlies in the Eastern Conference final. Whenever the end of the season does come, Zonnon wants to focus on his skating first and foremost after seeing how quick the pro game is, but thinks he needs to improve "everything" ahead of his first pro season.
Zonnon is listed at 6 foot 2 and 190 pounds, up five pounds from what the NHL measured him as weighing at the combine ahead of his draft last summer. He's big for his age, and he came in with above-average strength in some ways -- his 16 pull-ups at the combine were the most of any player at the combine last summer, and tied for the sixth-most in NHL combine history since it was added to the fitness testing in 2015. Zonnon wants to keep getting stronger this summer, too, but said it's "not really something I'm worried about."
"Every summer I put on from five to 10 pounds," he explained. "So, I get stronger every summer. It's going to be a main focus again. I mean, it's just a question of working hard, having a good plan. I know I've got some good people back home that help me get through that."
The Penguins aren't exactly worried about Zonnon having a big offseason, either. He's shown what kind of work ethic he has, evident from the moment he joined the team having studied the systems like he was cramming for a test. That mentality Zonnon has shows in everything he does.
"He's the utmost pro," MacDonald said. "For a 19 year old, he's wise beyond his years. He puts in the work all the time. He's a relentless worker, and in every facet -- the video systems, in the gym, on the ice. He's doing a great job."
It seems like a stretch to pencil in Zonnon for a spot coming out of camp next year, at least a full-time spot. He's eligible to play full-time in the AHL next season, so there's no dilemma in which they have to decide whether to play him in the NHL or send him back to junior. He could start next season in Wilkes-Barre and work his way up mid-season.
But at the same time, it was probably a "stretch" to pencil Zonnon's fellow 2025 first-round pick Ben Kindel into a full-time NHL gig this time last year, but Kindel sure earned that.
Who is to say Zonnon can't follow in Kindel's footsteps?
"Seeing younger guys going up there, doing their own thing, getting some good ice time, you can tell that coaching staff up there believes in those young guys to come in and play their games," Zonnon said. "So, I do think that one of these days, it might be me that's going to go up there and do my own thing."
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