Stryker Zablocki is one of the best players in the NCAA, and she hasn't even finished her rookie year. She talks about how her speed and the amount of shots she gets off have focused her.
Stryker Zablocki has been the name on everyone’s lips this season. The rookie whose arrival to the NCAA was already highly anticipated has surpassed all expectations.
Zablocki just became the first Northeastern player to win both Hockey East player and rookie of the year. Among an ever increasing pile of accolades, she became the first rookie Hockey East scoring leader rookie since Daryl Watts in 2017-18 with 18 goals and 42 points.
Now, she’s stepping into her first NCAA postseason, where she will work toward an NCAA and Hockey East championship with the No. 5 Northeastern.
“I love to win at the end of the day. And it's kind of been in me since birth,” she said.
For Zablocki, its her shooting, detail focus and speed that have made it possible. When she’s always one step ahead of her opponent, she can get a lot done.
Before she won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championships, Zablocki represented the maple leaf at the North America, Central América and Caribbean Athletics U18 championship, and holds an outstanding personal record of 11.70 in the 100m. While running for Zablocki is a tool to increase her speed on the ice, its made her one of fastest girls her age in Canada. After she completes the hockey season, she plans to go home to compete in more track meets.
“She's got the speed, she's got the tools necessary to make her an elite player. And I think her mindset and her attitude and how competitive she is have elevated that,” Northeastern assistant coach Melissa Piacentini.
Zablocki grew up in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan playing on boys' teams as a defender. That changed when she joined the all-girls Regina Rebels at 14 years old, and the way she was rushing the puck up every shift looked more like a forward. When her coach moved her to center, the discomfort with the transition made her into somewhat of a “third defenseman.”
“I was a little ignorant to go back up to forward,” she said of the initial switch. She moved to winger not long after and has stayed in the position ever since. She’s still a defensive player– she’s had 16 blocks this season– but the new position turned the on-switch for her offensive capabilities.
Zablocki leads Northeastern in shots, at 161. “I would shoot a lot,” she said of her early development. In the spring and summer, shooting is still her priority.
“I've always had to train really hard on my shot because it's a lot harder to get shots off in boys hockey and score on boys goaltending typically,” she said.
Zablocki chose to come to Boston because of the city and the coaches, but the depth of the team and compete level in practice has made the biggest difference for her– Northeastern has six skaters with more than 20 points.
“We're all pushing each other in line to be better than one another and really trying to make each other better at the end of the day,” she said.
For Zablocki, its in the details. She works hard at her speed and in every shot because she knows it can give her that extra edge.
“You can see it in the way that she plays every rep in practice, she's giving it her all,” Piacentini said. She describes Zablocki as “ultra competitive.”
“When you watch her play in practice, some of the things she's able to do are pretty remarkable,” Piacentini said.
“[I’m] just really excited to see what she will do in this game and what heights she'll be able to reach.”