He was there every night — and now he's going to Slovakia.
In the long arc of a young athlete's formation, there are seasons that merely pass and seasons that define — and for 17-year-old Zach Lansard, this was the latter. The Regina Pats forward closed a breakout WHL campaign without missing a single game, posted a career-high 56 points, and earned a place on Team Canada's roster for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship in Slovakia. His selection is less a surprise than a confirmation: that consistency, quietly sustained across a full season, has a way of making itself impossible to ignore.
- A teenager who didn't miss a single game all season now carries that unbroken streak into international competition — the stakes have never been higher.
- Lansard climbed from 72nd to 62nd in NHL Draft rankings mid-season, signaling that the scouting community is paying closer attention with each passing week.
- Canada's preliminary-round schedule in Slovakia — featuring Finland, Norway, Latvia, and the host nation — offers no easy nights, only opportunities to prove worth under pressure.
- The 2025 NHL Draft looms just beyond the tournament's final whistle on May 2, turning every shift in Bratislava and Trencin into a potential argument for a higher draft position.
- TSN and RDS will broadcast Canada's games nationally, meaning Lansard's next chapter will unfold in full view of the country he's been chosen to represent.
Zach Lansard didn't miss a single game this season — all 68 of them — and when Hockey Canada announced its U18 World Championship roster on April 13, his name was on it. The 17-year-old Regina Pats forward had spent the year quietly rewriting expectations, finishing with 56 points on 24 goals and 32 assists, a career-high that made his rookie season's 19 points feel like a distant prologue.
The climb in the rankings told its own story. NHL Central Scouting had him 72nd among North American skaters at midterm; TSN's Craig Button later placed him 62nd overall. That kind of upward movement in a draft year is precisely what scouts and teams are watching for.
His durability was as notable as his production. Being the only Pats player to appear in all 68 regular-season games speaks to conditioning and reliability — qualities that matter as much to coaches as highlight-reel moments. He also made his case at the WHL Top Prospects Game in Langley before adding three playoff goals before Regina's postseason run ended.
The U18 World Championship runs April 22 through May 2 in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia, with Canada facing Slovakia, Latvia, Norway, and Finland in the preliminary round. For Lansard, the tournament is the final act of a season spent climbing — and perhaps the moment that turns a name scouts are tracking into a name a team calls on draft day.
Zach Lansard did not miss a single game this season. Not one. While teammates cycled in and out of the Regina Pats lineup across a full 68-game WHL schedule, the 17-year-old forward was there every night — and now, as a reward for that consistency and a breakout year that turned heads across the scouting community, he's heading to Slovakia to represent Canada at the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.
Hockey Canada announced the roster on April 13, and Lansard's name on it feels like a punctuation mark on a season that has steadily rewritten expectations for the young forward. When NHL Central Scouting released its midterm rankings in January, he sat 72nd among North American skaters — a respectable position, but not one that screams second-round certainty. By the time TSN's Craig Button published his latest draft rankings, Lansard had climbed to 62nd overall. That kind of upward movement, in a draft year, is the sort of thing that gets a player noticed.
The numbers behind the rise are straightforward. Lansard finished the regular season with 56 points — 24 goals and 32 assists — a career-high that dwarfs what he produced as a rookie. In his first WHL season, he put up 19 points in 54 games and was named the Pats' Rookie of the Year, which suggested promise without quite revealing the ceiling. This year revealed the ceiling, or at least pushed it considerably higher.
His durability was its own statement. Playing all 68 games in a junior hockey season is not a given — the schedule is long, the physical toll is real, and most rosters see rotation through injury and rest. Lansard was the only Pats player to go wire-to-wire, which speaks to something beyond skill: availability, conditioning, and the kind of reliability that coaches and scouts both value.
Before the season ended, he got a national showcase at the 2025 WHL Top Prospects Game in Langley, British Columbia — an event designed precisely for players in his position, those on the cusp of NHL Draft consideration who need a stage to make their case. He made his. Then he carried the momentum into the playoffs, scoring three goals across five postseason games before the Pats' run concluded.
The U18 World Championship opens April 22 in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia. Canada's preliminary-round schedule includes matchups against the host nation Slovakia, Latvia, Norway, and Finland — a gauntlet that will test the roster's depth and give players like Lansard a chance to perform against international competition with NHL scouts watching closely. The tournament wraps with medal games on May 2.
For Canadian fans, TSN will carry all of Canada's preliminary-round games along with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and gold medal contest. RDS will broadcast the French-language coverage of Canada's group stage and select knockout rounds.
For Lansard personally, the next three weeks are an opportunity to do what he's been doing all season: show up, produce, and keep climbing. The 2025 NHL Draft is not far off, and a strong performance in Slovakia could be the final argument that moves him from a name scouts are tracking to a name a team calls on draft day.
Citações Notáveis
Lansard has worked his way firmly into second-round consideration for the 2025 NHL Draft.— Craig Button, TSN draft analyst, paraphrased
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What actually makes Lansard's season stand out — is it the points, or something else?
The points matter, but the ironman streak might matter more. Being the only player on your team to play every single game tells a scout something that a stat line can't fully capture.
How big a jump is it, going from 19 points as a rookie to 56 in year two?
It's nearly tripling your output. That kind of leap isn't just development — it suggests the first year was an adjustment period, and this year was closer to his actual level.
What does the Team Canada selection mean in practical terms for his draft stock?
It's validation, and it's visibility. Scouts who were already watching him now have another high-profile setting to confirm what they think they know.
He moved from 72nd to 62nd in the rankings — is that a meaningful difference?
In draft terms, ten spots can be the difference between being a mid-second-round pick and a late-second. It's not dramatic, but it's the direction you want to be moving.
What's the risk of a tournament like this for a player in his position?
A bad tournament can muddy a strong season. But most scouts are sophisticated enough to weigh context — team performance, competition level, role on the roster.
What should we be watching for when Canada plays in Slovakia?
Whether he produces against international defenders, and whether he looks like a player who belongs at that level or one who's still growing into it. Both answers are useful information.