By JASON LOWENTHAL
To
say the least, it has been a hectic past month for Zachary Osburn. A product of the Victory Honda organization
in Tier I Elite Hockey League, Osburn was selected with the sixth overall pick
in the 2013 USHL Futures Draft by the Indiana Ice. Although Osburn only played
in four games, tallying one assist and finishing with a plus-four rating,
Indiana went on to capture the Clark Cup for the second time in team history.
Celebrations aside, it was not all good news for the USHL champions, as it was
announced in early May that the team would be going dormant for the 2014-15
season.
Osburn,
along with his fellow teammates, entered the dispersal draft. At sixth overall,
the Steel picked up the ’97 birth year blue liner. Chicago also drafted forward
Nick Kunin and the rights of right wing Tyler Andrew at 22nd and 38th
overall, respectively.
“Not
knowing where I was going to be this year was little scary,” said Osburn. “When
Chicago picked me up it was a big stress reliever.”
Despite
getting on the ice in just four games for Indiana last season, Osburn still put
up impressive numbers for Victory Honda’s Under-18 team, notching 15 goals and
26 points over 34 games. He also earned a roster spot on Team USA Under-17 in
the Five Nations Tournament held in Trnava, Slovakia.
“It
was a lot of fun,” said Osburn. “I’ve never played internationally before and
winning that tournament was a huge accomplishment not only for me but as USA
Hockey and for the team that went with us.”
Born
in Plymouth, Mich., Osburn plans to stay at home to play his college hockey. He
has committed to Michigan State University, where he will bring an impressive
left-handed shot.
“I
liked Michigan State a lot,” said Osburn. “It’s close to home and I just think
it’s a very good fit for me, knowing coach Tom (Anastos) and what he’s about.
My plans are to keep growing and developing as a hockey player and after that,
hopefully I’m still playing.”
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