Zack Ostapchuk made his way to the San Jose Sharks by way of trade at the NHL trade deadline and debuted in Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals. While the result of the game ended in another loss for the Sharks, it was one of the most physical games we have seen this season.
A highlight of it all was when Tom Wilson threw off his gloves and started to go at it with Ostapchuk.
Another day, another Tom Wilson scrap đź‘Š pic.twitter.com/4NVxVXX4eG
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 15, 2025
Zack Ostapchuk I don’t know you like that yet but i already love you pic.twitter.com/tnFcwwbLFa
— bianca (@meiebia) March 16, 2025
“I like to mix it up a little bit. I think it brings some energy to the team. I think at that point of the game, it’s just something I was trying to do is maybe provide a little spark being down three, nothing. Tom Wilson’s pretty tough. Probably not the guy I would have loved to fight. But that’s who I got,” said Ostapchuk on the heat of the moment fight.
Ostapchuk is a powerhouse at 6’4” and 212 lbs., he played junior hockey with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL, where he served as captain and led the team to the playoffs. His leadership and skills caught the attention of NHL scouts, and in 2021, the Ottawa Senators picked him in the second round of the draft.
After signing with Ottawa in 2021, Zack spent time with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. In 2024, he made his NHL debut with Ottawa. Ostapchuk helped Team Canada secure back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023, proving he’s got what it takes to compete at the highest level.
“I love it. I mean, it’s a nice change coming from Ottawa. The weather’s a little warmer, and the group has been great. I mean, it’s kind of a younger team here, so I got a lot of guys to talk to, and they’ve been really good at bringing me in,” he said when asked about adjusting to being in San Jose.
Seeing as the San Jose Sharks are bringing in younger guys, like calling up Luca Cagnoni from the Barracuda more recently, and having guys like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Collin Graf, the future is looking quite young. Ostapchuk is also a part of that younger group, with him being 21. Setting the tone on this team is important for that Sharks future and it seems he has done just that.
“I think they got a bright future here. I think there’s a lot of winning coming up in the next couple of years here, once everybody gets a little older and develops, and I just want to be a piece in that, I want to add to a winning culture here,” said Ostapchuk.
He has certainly made his physical presence known on this team, and we can’t wait to see what he brings to the table.
