EVERETT — When the Everett Silvertips traded for Jesse Zetariuk, there was a unanimous response from around town:
Jesse who?
The outrage flew faster than a 747. How could the team with the best record in the WHL trade two popular players, including its captain, for someone nobody ever heard of?
Need an explanation? Ask the Vancouver Giants, who watched Zetariuk’s muscular presence help the Silvertips win back-to-back games against the defending league champs just before the Christmas break.
Need another? Ask Seattle goaltender Derek Yeomans, who watched helplessly as Zetariuk blasted a shot past him from 50 feet away during Wednesday’s shootout, won by the Tips.
For a no-name, Zetariuk sure seems to make an impact.
“I know a lot of people wondered who this guy was,” Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said. “But we know, and hockey people know, we’ve improved our hockey club.”
Not everyone was a believer when the trade went down on Dec. 12. In order to acquire Zetariuk, a defenseman, and right wing Carter Smith from Moose Jaw, the Tips had to surrender defenseman Cody Thoring, the team’s captain and the last remaining player from the incredible inaugural season in 2003-04, as well as talented right wing Brady Calla. The loss of the last original Silvertip stung many fans.
But in his first five games with Everett, Zetariuk showed exactly why the Tips were willing to pay that price. The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder from Brandon, Manitoba, gave Everett an upgrade in size and strength on defense without a corresponding loss in mobility. He also brought a shot – a rocket one-timer from the point – that surely will help Everett’s offense.
“So far things have gone pretty well,” Zetariuk said. “There’s a lot of systems to learn. I’ve adapted quickly, but I still have a lot of learning to do.”
Zetariuk is already logging heavy ice time for Everett, being used extensively on both the power play and penalty kill. He also seems to have settled quickly into the locker room.
“I think he’s done a great job,” said Jason Fransoo, who’s served as Zetariuk’s primary defensive partner so far. “He brings a lot of leadership and is a wily veteran in this league. He’s stepped in and made his presence felt in the locker room”
One could characterize Zetariuk as a late bloomer. He was passed over in the bantam draft, and in his first three seasons in the WHL, all played with Red Deer, he had just three goals and 13 assists in 155 games.
However, after being traded to Moose Jaw prior to the 2005-06 season, Zetariuk had a breakthrough season. He led the Warriors in scoring among defensemen, totaling seven goals and 31 assists and helping Moose Jaw win its first ever Eastern Conference championship.
“In Red Deer I was more of a stay-at-home defenseman,” Zetariuk said. “My role was to keep things simple and I never really got a chance to show any offensive abilities. Then in Moose Jaw they put me on the power play and gave me the opportunity to score some points. I guess you could say I had a breakout season.
“I think I always had that ability,” Zetariuk added. “It’s tough when you don’t get a chance. Moose Jaw gave me an opportunity to show what I could do and I took it.”
This season, though Moose Jaw struggled, Zetariuk continued his strong play, totaling five goals and 15 assists in 30 games with the Warriors prior to the trade. He’s continued that strong play with the Tips.
“As a defensive partner he’s been great,” Fransoo said. “He’s a big guy who throws a lot of hits out there and he brings a lot of offense to our back end, getting pucks through with his hard one-timer. We haven’t been the best five-on-five and one of the problems has been getting shots through from the defense. That’s one of his strong points.”
Zetariuk, along with Smith, also brings the wisdom that comes from having played for the WHL championship, something only one other Everett player has experienced – and Zach Hamill was just a 15-year-old at the time.
Though Zetariuk’s Warriors advanced to the WHL finals last season, he likes the way Everett compares to last season’s Moose Jaw team.
“I think this team has a lot more know-how of how to get there,” Zetariuk said. “They’re not similar teams. In Moose Jaw we were all offense and here it’s defense first. But we have all the right tools. We just have to put them in place to make a run.”
And the Tips believe they found one of those pieces in Zetariuk.
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