There are plenty of forwards to choose from in the opening rounds of the 2023 NHL Draft. One whose career was a decision between hockey and rodeo, as Koehn Ziemmer’s was, is probably a unique case. Several of his family members have gone on to find success in the livestock sport, but Koehn is making a name for himself on the ice with the Prince George Cougars.
Playing his second full WHL season this year, he helped the organization advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. They ran into the buzzsaw that is the Seattle Thunderbirds in the second round, a team that lost just three games on its way to a league championship, but the team’s building phase is reaching its end, and next season Ziemmer will be in the hunt for a WHL title himself.
Birthplace: Mayerthorpe, Alberta
Date of birth: December 8, 2004
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 194 lbs.
Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Ziemmer ended the regular season with 41 goals, the highest total from a WHL first-year draft-eligible player since Seth Jarvis hit 42 in 2019-20. The shine was taken off that draft-season performance by Connor Bedard hitting 71, but there are 222 other prospects dealing with that same situation.
As you would expect from a player who ranked near the top of the league in goals, Ziemmer has a great shot. He gets the puck off his stick quickly without advertising when it’s going to happen. He can fool defenders and goaltenders with how sudden the puck gets on net, and he’s discovered that is true no matter where he is on the ice, making him dangerous from anywhere.
Even so, he does seek the best spots on the ice to set up to receive a pass, which is a key part of his game, especially when on a line with a playmaker like Riley Heidt. The two enjoyed a great deal of chemistry over the past two seasons, and they will credit each other when they’re drafted in June.
Ziemmer isn’t a good technical skater, and that affects his ability to escape from opponents in his own zone and start breakouts. However, once he’s shuffled up to his top speed, his deft hands come alive and he can deke his way around anyone standing in his way to get in on offence.
Along with the great hands, he also weighs in at 194 pounds, and he’s beginning to learn how to use that to his advantage. He’s not the kind of player who will lay a big hit on an opponent, and he doesn’t have the pace to catch up with rushing forwards and separate them from the puck, but he does wedge himself between the puck and an opposing player along the boards in both the offensive and defensive zones, outmuscling them to win possession. He carries whatever momentum he’s built up on his way up or down the ice into those battles, and then his stick-work can take over of snatch the puck away.
The combination of hand skill and size is an uncommon one among draft prospects, who often have one or the other. Such a profile will entice many scouts and general managers looking for future NHL talent, and will at least keep Ziemmer higher on draft boards than peers with just one main strength.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #35
Elite Prospects: #45
FCHockey: #42
Hockey Prospect: #22
Hadi Kalakeche: #37
McKeen’s: #40
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #31
NHL Central Scouting: #25 (North American skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic) N/R in Top 34
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #23
The general consensus is that teammate Heidt’s package of talents is more valuable than Ziemmer’s, so the former will likely be selected on day one of the draft while the latter heads back to Brindgestone Arena in Nashville on the second day to hear his name. No one expects him to be sitting in the stands for long before he joins an NHL organization.
He made significant improvements to his game from last season; a player on the rise still with room to grow. The challenge will be improving his skating stride to help him use his energy more efficiently, and right now that is the one part that could prevent him from reaching the NHL. It shouldn’t take much work from a development staff to improve upon his current technique, but he still may plateau at a level below what is necessary to advance to the top level.
Anton Rasegård
