Going into the 2023-24 season, Jason Zucker is committed to helping bring a winning culture to Arizona.
The Arizona Coyotes are a young rebuilding team but there is one veteran player that is looking to make a large impact.
That veteran is Jason Zucker who signed a one-year, 5.3 million contract with the Coyotes this offseason.
The 31-year-old forward has been with the Penguins the past four seasons playing with some of the NHL’s best including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang which has helped him learn many valuable lessons.
“It was great because it teaches you what the peak of the mountain is,” Zucker said. “It teaches you what the best players in the world do. Obviously there's a lot to unpack there just from the three Stanley Cups. Just the way that Sid carries himself, the way Gino carries himself, Letang and Jeff Carter.
“I mean guys that have been around for a long time, that have won and done everything you can possibly do in the game. All four of those guys are Hall of Fame players, and it's just fun to learn not only the leadership aspect, but a lot of it's the on ice in the off-ice side, the professionalism in the media, again off the ice team bonding thing anything that it is. They are just the epitome of what it means to be a pro.”
Zucker is coming off his best statistical year since the 2017-18 season as he had 27 goals, 21 assists and 48 points in 78 games.
Playing in Pittsburgh with all the championship pedigree and being with a young Coyotes team are two totally different things. Zucker’s role will change drastically as he is one of the older players in Arizona and should take more of a leadership role. However, Zucker wants to keep the same mindset he had with the Penguins.
“Honestly for me it doesn't really change from what I was doing last year in Pittsburgh,” Zucker said. “Obviously having a much older team there but for me it's a lot about how you handle yourself, the work ethic, just the mentality towards the season. Overall for me a lot of it is just playing the game and if you play the game the right way and you lead by example, then a lot of the guys are going to follow.”
Forward depth is key in the NHL today and not only does Zucker provide leadership but he should be a valuable top-six forward for the team helping young players like Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther grow in the process.
Zucker is accustomed to winning hockey games and will expect nothing less as he embarks on his next journey with the Coyotes.
“I mean, going into Pittsburgh the expectations were Stanley Cup or bust and in Minnesota, obviously our expectations were extremely high,” Zucker said. “Now we're getting back to that here, our expectations inside our locker room are very high and we're going to hold ourselves to those expectations and hold ourselves accountable to make sure that we're all pulling in the right direction and doing our own part to help this organization win games.”