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Zach Aston-Reese

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Zach Aston-Reese
Aston-Reese with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023
Born (1994-08-10) August 10, 1994 (age 30)
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Columbus Blue Jackets
Pittsburgh Penguins
Anaheim Ducks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Zachary Aston-Reese (born August 10, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Prior to turning professional, Aston-Reese played for Northeastern University. He was named a Hobey Baker hat trick finalist, Hockey East First-Team All-Star, and won Hockey East Player of the Year.

Playing career

[edit]

Early career

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While playing for the New Jersey Rockets of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL) during the 2010–11 season, Aston-Reese also appeared in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played two games for the Des Moines Buccaneers, as well as 25 games for the Lincoln Stars. Aston-Reese joined the Stars full-time for the 2011–12 season. In 53 games, he recorded 5 goals and 10 assists. After one more season with the Stars, Aston-Reese joined the Division 1 Northeastern Huskies. He played for the club for four seasons. During the 2015–16 season, the Huskies won the Hockey East Tournament championship.[1] The following season, Aston-Reese was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, NCAA Division I First All-American Team, and the Hockey East Player of the Year.[2]

Professional

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Pittsburgh Penguins

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Aston-Reese with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018

On March 14, 2017, Aston-Reese, as an undrafted player, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3] He joined the Penguins American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of the season, recording eight points in ten games.

Aston-Reese started the 2017–18 season in the minors, but made his NHL debut on February 3, 2018, against the New Jersey Devils.[4] He recorded his first two NHL goals in a 6–3 win over the Ottawa Senators on February 13.[5] On February 27, Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury during practice.[6] He returned to the Penguins' lineup on March 27 after missing 13 games.[7] Aston-Reese made his postseason debut on April 11, 2018, against the Philadelphia Flyers.[8] On April 18, he recorded his first career playoff point, assisting on a goal by Riley Sheahan.[9] During Game 3 of Round 2 against the Washington Capitals, Aston-Reese was checked by Tom Wilson, resulting in a broken jaw and a concussion.[10] Wilson was suspended three playoff games for the hit.[11]

Prior to the beginning of the 2018–19 season, Aston-Reese was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.[12] However, he was called to the NHL on November 6, after he recorded six goals in 11 games.[13] Aston-Reese managed to score six goals and eleven points in his next 30 games, but he broke his hand in a game against the Florida Panthers on January 8, 2019.[14]

On July 22, 2019, the Penguins re-signed Aston-Reese to a two-year, $2 million contract extension.[15]

As a restricted free agent after the 2020-2021 season, Aston-Reese filed for salary arbitration with the Penguins. The arbitration hearing was scheduled for August 23, 2021.[16] On August 5, 2021, the Penguins re-signed Aston-Reese to a one-year, $1.725 million contract, avoiding the arbitration hearing.[17]

Anaheim Ducks

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On March 21, 2022, Aston-Reese was traded by Pittsburgh, along with Dominik Simon, prospect Calle Clang, and a second round draft choice to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Rickard Rakell.[18]

Toronto Maple Leafs

[edit]

Ahead of the 2022–23 NHL season, Aston-Reese joined the Toronto Maple Leafs for a professional tryout (PTO).[19] Following a successful pre-season showing, Aston-Reese was signed to a one-year, $840,000 contract with the Maple Leafs on October 9, 2022.[20] He got his first goal as a Maple Leaf in their 5–2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 2.[21] He finished the season with ten goals and 14 points in 77 games and took part in the Maple Leafs' first postseason series win since 2004.[22]

Detroit Red Wings

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An unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Aston-Reese signed a professional try-out agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes on September 14, 2023.[23] However, on October 6, Aston-Reese was one of six players released from their PTOs by the Hurricanes.[24] Two days later, on October 8, Aston-Reese signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings.[22] He opened the 2023–24 season with Detroit's AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, before he was recalled by the Red Wings on October 14, 2023.[25] He returned to Grand Rapids on October 15 without playing a game for Detroit.[26] He was recalled again by Detroit on December 11 on an emergency basis after a series of injuries to Red Wings forwards.[27] He made his season debut with the Red Wings that day in a 6–3 loss to the Dallas Stars. He was sent back to Grand Rapids on December 15.[28]

Columbus Blue Jackets

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On July 1, 2024, Aston-Reese signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.[29] However, before playing a game for Vegas, Aston-Reese was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 7, 2024, ahead of the 2024–25 season.[30]

Personal life

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Aston-Reese was born on August 10, 1994, in the New York City borough of Staten Island. He is the third child of William Sr. and Carolyn (née Buckheit). He has two older siblings: a sister, and a brother named William Jr.[31] He attended PS 45 in West Brighton and Morris Intermediate School in Brighton Heights, New York, then enrolled at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, where he played his freshman year [32]

Aston-Reese was a graphic design major in college and occasionally worked in the Penguins' front office on the design of gameday programs.[33]

Career statistics

[edit]
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 New Jersey Rockets AtJHL 36 13 20 33 31 4 3 0 3 12
2010–11 New Jersey Rockets AtJHL 25 9 20 29 65 — — — — —
2010–11 Des Moines Buccaneers USHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2010–11 Lincoln Stars USHL 25 2 3 5 4 1 0 0 0 5
2011–12 Lincoln Stars USHL 35 5 10 15 69 8 1 2 3 8
2012–13 Lincoln Stars USHL 60 9 21 30 113 5 2 3 5 4
2013–14 Northeastern University HE 35 8 11 19 22 — — — — —
2014–15 Northeastern University HE 31 13 10 23 60 — — — — —
2015–16 Northeastern University HE 41 14 29 43 28 — — — — —
2016–17 Northeastern University HE 38 31 32 63 72 — — — — —
2016–17 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 10 3 5 8 7 — — — — —
2017–18 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 41 9 20 29 49 — — — — —
2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 16 4 2 6 2 9 0 1 1 4
2018–19 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 11 6 3 9 18 — — — — —
2018–19 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 43 8 9 17 26 4 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 57 6 7 13 28 4 0 1 1 2
2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 45 9 6 15 15 6 1 1 2 2
2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 52 2 9 11 22 — — — — —
2021–22 Anaheim Ducks NHL 17 3 1 4 6 — — — — —
2022–23 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 10 4 14 25 6 1 0 1 0
2023–24 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 61 14 16 30 53 9 1 1 2 2
2023–24 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 310 42 38 80 126 29 2 3 5 8

Awards and honors

[edit]
Award Year
USHL
USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2012
College
HE Second All-Star Team 2016 [34]
HE All-Tournament Team 2016
HE First All-Star Team 2017 [35]
HE Player of the Year 2017
New England MVP 2017 [34]
AHCA East First-Team All-American 2017 [36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Weekly Release: Northeastern Wins 2016 Hockey East Tournament Title". Hockey East Online. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "Zach Aston-Reese headlines 2017 Hockey East honors". Northeastern Huskies. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  3. ^ Mackey, Jason (March 14, 2017). "Penguins sign coveted college free agent Zach Aston-Reese to two-year deal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Philadelphia. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  4. ^ "Penguins Recall Forward Zach Aston-Reese". NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "Guentzel and Aston-Reese lead Pens past Sens". CBC Sports. Associated Press. February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Pittsburgh Penguins [@penguins] (February 28, 2018). "Coach Sullivan on Aston-Reese: "Zach was not a healthy scratch last night yesterday he got hurt in practice." Coach adds that it is an upper-body injury and that he will be out "longer term"" (Tweet). Retrieved February 28, 2018 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Pittsburgh Penguins [@penguins] (March 27, 2018). "Welcome back to the lineup, @zreese11!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2018 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Lesko, Ty (April 26, 2018). "Many Pens debuted in Wednesday's Game 1 victory". NHL.com. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "pit-vs-phi gamecenter". NHL.com. April 18, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Sachdeva, Sonny (May 1, 2018). "Capitals' Wilson knocks Penguins' Aston-Reese out of Game 3 with high hit". Sportsnet. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Capitals' Tom Wilson gets 3 games for hit on Penguins' Aston-Reese". CBC Sports. Associated Press. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "Penguins Assign Aston-Reese and Trotman to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton". NHL.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  13. ^ McCay, Jason (November 6, 2018). "Full of confidence, Zach Aston-Reese to return to NHL club". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  14. ^ Mackey, Jason (January 12, 2019). "Amid turnaround, Penguins gaining confidence as road warriors". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  15. ^ "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Zach Aston-Reese to a Two-Year Contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "NHL players file for salary arbitration". NHL.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  17. ^ "Aston-Reese signs contract with Penguins, avoids arbitration hearing". NHL.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Penguins acquire Rakell from Ducks". TSN. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  19. ^ Alter, David (September 22, 2022). "While on a Professional Tryout with Maple Leafs, Zach Aston-Reese Doesn't Expect to Sign Elsewhere". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Maple Leafs sign forward Aston-Reese to a one-year contract". Toronto Maple Leafs. October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  21. ^ "Aston-Reese puts Leafs up 3-1". Sportsnet. Toronto Maple Leafs. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Roth, Thomas (October 8, 2023). "Red Wings sign Zach Aston-Reese to one-year contract". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved October 8, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  23. ^ Henkel, Ryan (September 14, 2023). "Hurricanes sign Zach Aston-Reese to PTO". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  24. ^ "Hurricanes release Zach Aston-Reese, Kieffer Bellows from PTOs". Sportsnet. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  25. ^ "Red Wings recall Zach Aston-Reese". Detroit Red Wings. October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  26. ^ "Red Wings' Zach Aston-Reese: Sent down". CBS Sports. October 15, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  27. ^ Stockton, Sam (December 11, 2023). "Red Wings Place Compher, Larkin, Kostin on Injured Reserve and Recall Berggren, Czarnik, Aston-Reese Under Emergency Conditions". The Hockey News. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  28. ^ "Red Wings assign Zach Aston-Reese to Grand Rapids". Detroit Red Wings. December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  29. ^ Gaudio, Julian (July 1, 2024). "Golden Knights Sign Zach Aston-Reese To A One-Year Contract". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  30. ^ Webster, Danny (October 7, 2024). "Knights claim 2 forwards off waivers, but lose 1 themselves". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  31. ^ Crechiolo, Michelle (August 9, 2017). "Getting to Know: Zach Aston-Reese". NHL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  32. ^ "Staten Islander Zach Aston-Reese nets first two NHL goals to lead Penguins". February 14, 2018.
  33. ^ Seidling, Jason (March 16, 2019). "A Passion for Art and Hockey Collide". nhl.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Zach Aston-Reese". gonu.com. Northeastern Huskies. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  35. ^ "Zach Aston-Reese Headlines 2017 Hockey East Honors". gonu.com. Boston: Northeastern Huskies. March 16, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  36. ^ "2016–2017 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hockey East Player of the Year
2016–17 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NCAA Ice Hockey Scoring Champion
2016–17
With: Mike Vecchione and Tyler Kelleher 		Succeeded by
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