Zack Kassian

Zack Kassian (born January 24, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was chosen 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Zack is of Armenian ancestry.

Playing career
Kassian made his debut with the Peterborough Petes in the 2007–08 season. He appeared in 58 games, scoring 9 goals to go along with 12 assists for 21 points. In the 2008–09 season, Kassian showed great improvement, and his numbers increased greatly. In 61 games played, he had 24 goals and 39 assists for 63 points. He also had 136 penalty minutes, which was the highest number on the Petes; this was due in part to Kassian's 13 fighting majors. That season, he played in the OHL All-Star Classic, scoring a goal and adding an assist for the Eastern Conference team. He also played in the CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Cherry. In the game, he had a hit on top prospect John Tavares, which left Tavares with a shoulder injury.

Kassian plays a power forward style, and has been compared to Boston Bruins forward Milan Lučić.

On June 26, 2009, Kassian was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, 13th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

On January 21, 2010, Kassian was handed a 20 game suspension by the OHL for his hit to the head of Barrie Colts forward Matt Kennedy. Also in the 2011 IIHF world juniors, Kassian was handed a 2 game suspension for his hit to the head on Czech defenceman Petr Senkerik.

In May of 2010, Kassian was charged with assault after an altercation outside of a downtown Windsor, Ontario bar. In October of 2010, Kassian reached an agreement that saw the assault charge laid against him in May dropped. As part of the deal, Kassian, 19, must perform 25 hours of community service. He will also make a $500 donation to charity and pay for the dental work of the other person involved in the incident. Kassian was arrested shortly after the completion of the Memorial Cup after an altercation at a Windsor bar. If convicted of the charge, Kassian could have run into difficulty crossing the Canada-U.S. border as he looks to continue his hockey career.

On April 23rd, 2011, Kassian was suspended 4 games for an intent to injure match penalty he received at the end of a playoff game vs the Owen Sound Attack on April 23rd, 2011.

On November 1, 2010, he signed a 3-year entry level contract with the Sabres, and played with the team's affiliate the Portland Pirates in the first round of the AHL playoffs.

Awards and Honors
Canadian National Team World Junior Tournament 2010
 * Invited to take part in Canada’s 2011 National Junior Team selection camp