Zach Gallant’s rookie OHL season was nothing to write home about. The center joined the Peterborough Petes for 51 games and tallied just four assists, 23 penalty minutes and a -16 rating. For a fifth overall selection by the Petes in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection, it was even more disappointing.
But for as bad as it began for Gallant, he turned it around quickly. His sophomore season, he improved to 21 goals and 26 assists, ranking sixth on the team in points and fourth in goals. That summer, he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.