Cole Zurawski – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Cole Zurawski

2025-26 Team: Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Date of Birth: Feb. 06, 2008
Place of Birth: Etobicoke, ON, CAN
Ht: 6-foot-1 Wt: 190 pounds
Shoots: R
Position: RW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible

Rankings

• NHL Central Scouting: 59^th (among NA skaters)
• Peter Baracchini’s March Rankings: 61^st
• Andrew Forbes’ April Rankings: 61^st
• Jordan Orth’s April Rankings: 62^nd

With Owen Sound Attack forward Pierce Mbuyi getting a lot of attention as a goal scorer for the 2026 NHL Draft, his teammate Cole Zurawski shouldn’t be overlooked as he can be just as effective as a shooter and an energetic presence. 

Even though the Attack had an average season, they still put up 243 goals as a team. Zurawski was essential to help provide that offense as he had 24 goals and 46 points, improving on the 31 total he had last season and had the third most shot on goals on the team with 186. Of his 46 points, only 16 came on the power play, showing his ability to do most of his damage at even strength and not rely on the man advantage.

The trademark to Zurawski’s game is his offensive instincts, shot and tenacious work ethic. He’s constantly applying pressure in all three zones to force turnovers and quickly pounce on the puck leading to quick rush chances. In the offensive zone, he’s great at establishing attacks and finding the shooting lanes to wire pucks on net. He has a powerful wrist shot with a swift release, a decent one-timer and has a quick catch and release. He can score in a variety of different ways and gets rewarded for it with his hard work and positioning.

When tracking down or pursuing pucks, Zurawski has an aggressive mindset. He’s a great skater and has a strong set of hands, combine those together and he can be a nightmare on that attack or in one-on-one situations. He has great agility to break through defenders and maintain control while doing so. He has great passing vision as well, spotting seams when they open up and make crisp tape-to-tape passes when his teammates enter the zone.

Zurawski’s play off the puck can definitely use some fine tuning. He needs to show more consistency away from the puck and be more aware defensively at times. Overall, he does have the ability to package all of his strengths together to be impactful. Once the defensive game catches on, he could be an even more difficult player to face.

Other THW Draft Profiles

Egor Barabanov
Beckham Edwards
Pierce Mbuyi

Cole Zurawski – NHL Draft Projection

I may be a little higher on Zurawski more than others given his energy and shooting mindset. He’s definitely viewed as a potentially late third or early fourth rounder given his Central Scouting rating, but I feel like he can be taken earlier. Especially if he’s able to package everything to get and take major strides with his game next season. The shot and drive is there which could entice some teams.

Quotables

“He’s very aggressive on pucks and has a lethal shot. A pure goal scorer. We liken him to Coulson Pitre, he plays the same position and same type of game. He brings grit and skill every night and he competes with pace.” – Mike Oliverio, Flint Firebirds head scout 

“Really effective transition player who is most effective when he can attack the offensive zone with speed. The hands are top notch; he’s probably one of the more creative players on this list. Zurawski is also a high end shooter, although his high volume approach isn’t always the most effective.” – Brock Ottem, McKeen’s/ OHL Prospects 

Strengths 

• Energy and motor 
• High-end work ethic and pace to his game
• Strong shooter with accuracy and power
• Great agility and foot speed

Under Construction- Improvements to Make

• Play off the puck can be inconsistent
• Defensive awareness can improve
• Can he put all his strengths together to be more impactful

NHL Potential

Zurawski’s play and style is definitely translatable to the NHL level. He has the speed, shot and energy that could see him excel in a bottom-six role for any team. He can be impactful at five-on-five and could see some time on a second power play unit seeing as he is very dangerous with his shot. He’s an offensive generator and one that can constantly apply pressure. If he can take strides with his development quickly, he can be an essential depth piece.

Risk- Reward Analysis

Risk- 3.5/5, Reward 3/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense- 6/10, Defense 5.5/10

Awards/ Achievements

Zurawski is committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season.

Cole Zurawski Stats

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