For Zach Lansard, hearing his name called at the 2026 NHL Draft was the realization of a childhood dream. For his family and the community that helped raise him, it marked the culmination of years of early mornings, long road trips and unwavering belief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old Ste. Anne product was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round, 68th overall, a moment he admits came sooner than expected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really exciting and it\u2019s every kid\u2019s dream,\u201d Zach says. \u201cIt was a little earlier than my family and I expected, but it was a dream come true.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He says the belief in reaching this level never wavered, even through the sacrifices along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I\u2019m at right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the draft marked a major milestone in his hockey journey, Zach is quick to point to the people who helped get him there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad taught me how to skate when I was three years old and\u00a0everything\u00a0I know now,\u201d he says. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely been my biggest role model in the game and is probably the biggest reason why I\u2019m here right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A young Zach Lansard is pictured on the ice with his father,\u00a0Kevin, during his early years (photo provided)<\/p>\n
Zach also credits his mother, extended\u00a0family\u00a0and the broader Ste. Anne community for supporting his pursuit of hockey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom and my dad, my aunties, uncles and grandparents drove me around to\u00a0practices\u00a0and\u00a0games and\u00a0made\u00a0a lot of sacrifices,\u201d he says. \u201cIt truly does take a village, and without my family or the town of Ste. Anne, I definitely wouldn\u2019t be where I\u2019m at right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A family\u2019s investment\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For his father, Kevin Lansard, draft day brought a lot of emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the first feeling was relief,\u201d Kevin says. \u201cKnowing how hard someone worked and not knowing if your name will be called or when. There\u2019s excitement, but there\u2019s relief because of all the work he put in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin says the family intentionally kept expectations in check leading up to the draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe mentally prepared for it to be later,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen it came a little sooner than expected, it took some of the pressure off and we got to enjoy it a little bit more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo credit:\u00a0Regina Pats Hockey Club Facebook Page<\/p>\n
He notes his biggest contribution\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0teaching hockey\u00a0skills, but\u00a0helping build mental resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked on winning the day,\u201d Kevin explains. \u201cIf you think about the whole season or the draft,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0overwhelming. We just focused on what he was good at, what he was working on, and not worrying about the result.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That mindset, Zach says, became a key part of his development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After receiving a book on mental toughness early in the season, he began diving deeper into the subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing mentally strong is very important in life in general, but definitely in the game of hockey,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Community behind every step\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Zach\u2019s profile grew, so did the support from Ste. Anne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Social media filled with congratulatory messages following the draft, something he says has been overwhelming in the best way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support is\u00a0amazing\u00a0and the community is great,\u201d Zach says. \u201cAll the texts I get and people coming over, it\u2019s been amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zach Lansard and supportive family members celebrate with homemade signs following his selection by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 NHL Draft. Photo provided by Jessica Bram.<\/p>\n
Kevin says that support extends well beyond immediate family, with dozens of relatives and friends often travelling to games.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes life easier when your kids have that support,\u201d Kevin says. \u201cWe\u2019re on the road a lot, and it turns into a more fun atmosphere when a lot of family and friends are there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having coached minor hockey in Ste. Anne for years, Kevin says giving back has always been important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy learning something new and sharing it with other families and kids,\u201d Kevin says. \u201cI loved coaching in Ste. Anne. We met a lot of good friends and families, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just enjoyable to be a part of.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staying grounded\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite reaching one of hockey\u2019s biggest milestones, Zach says he\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0forgotten where his journey began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t too many hockey players from Ste. Anne, so I\u2019m very\u00a0honoured,\u201d Zach says. \u201cSte. Anne has done so much for me and my family.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0always going to\u00a0represent\u00a0where I came from because without them, I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A young Zach Lansard (center) representing Team Manitoba (photo provided)<\/p>\n
He hopes young players chasing similar dreams\u00a0remember\u00a0success\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0only defined by reaching the NHL.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you love the game, it\u2019ll get you far,\u201d Zach says. \u201cEven if you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0make it in hockey,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0make friends for life.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0about the people who are on the journey with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking ahead\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zach will attend Carolina\u2019s development camp before returning to the Regina Pats, where he hopes to help the team compete for a WHL championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a really good team and a young team,\u201d Zach says. \u201cRegina has a really bright future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For now,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0focused on taking everything in one step at a time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0been thinking\u00a0about\u00a0so much in the last 24 hours.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been insane,\u201d Zach says. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to take it day by day and soak it all in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Zach Lansard, hearing his name called at the 2026 NHL Draft was the realization of a childhood…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-775473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}