Last June, Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler attended the 2023 NHL Draft specifically to witness Broncos recruit Zach Nehring becoming the Winnipeg Jets’ third-round pick.
Nehring had been on WMU’s radar for some time, stemming from his successful prep hockey career at Minnesota’s Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. And now, there’s no surprise in the Broncos’ camp that the freshman forward from Minot, N.D., was named as the NCHC’s rookie of the month for October.
“He’s exactly the player we recruited,” Ferschweiler said. “He’s big, he’s long, he skates well for a big man, he works very hard, he’s got really good hockey sense, and he has a nice set of hands, especially tight in around the net.
“He has done nothing but impress, literally since the second he stepped on campus, but he’s exactly the player the Jets drafted and who we recruited. I couldn’t be happier with Zach Nehring.”
WMU’s joint-tallest player at 6 feet, 5 inches, Nehring averaged more than a point per game in his first month of college hockey. Through four games, he has five points on three goals and two assists. He is also plus-4 for the season, he’s tied for the WMU team lead in points, and his three blocked shots on defense have him first in that category among Bronco forwards.
“The way we play puts a lot of pressure on people’s skating, but it also puts pressure on the other team to defend us, and right away, there was a little adjustment for Zach in terms of how active you have to be to play in our system, but he’s up to speed now and his play shows it,” Ferschweiler said.
“He’s got a number of points, but his quality of play is even higher than his point total. His consistency of play has been one of his most impressive qualities. The reason we recruited him was his work ethic combined with his hockey sense, and when you put those things together, you have a player that continues to do it right, and he’s done it right lots.”
Nehring’s hockey IQ has been on display for years. He had 87 points in 57 games for Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16U AAA team, at the time that he caught the attention of WMU’s coaches. He has since played one season of junior hockey with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. He totaled 14 points on nine goals and five assists, after recovering from an early-season injury.
“He stuck out like a sore thumb at Shattuck,” Ferschweiler said. “We really tend to pick people with an inner drive, people who are self-motivated and love the work and love the process, and everything we saw was confirmed by the Shattuck coaches of who Zach was as a young man, what he was as a hockey player and that he wanted to be great.”
Fourteenth-ranked WMU is 3-1 heading into the Broncos’ opening NCHC series this weekend at Omaha, and Ferschweiler is eager to see what problems Nehring can give opponents going forward.
“It’s a day-by-day process, and especially for the young guys,” Ferschweiler said. “It’s been our stated goal from the start of the year that we’re here to get better every day, and that’s Zach’s goal, as well. He continues to round out his game, and it’s already really good in lots and lots of spots.
“We always talk with our guys about, ‘What do you want to repeat, and what do you want to improve?’ We’re going to work on that on a daily basis, but I think Zach is going to be a great Bronco until he’s a great pro, whenever that is.”
