Sports
Zach Werenski
born 1997 · ice hockey defenseman
Grosse Pointe-born defenseman who trained with Detroit's Belle Tire youth club and the University of Michigan before becoming one of the NHL's top blueliners with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Born
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
age 29- Birth name
- Zachary Kenneth Werenski
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Werenski grew up in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe and came up through the area's elite youth hockey scene, playing for the Detroit Belle Tire club before starring at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Columbus drafted him eighth overall in 2015, and he has since become the franchise's all-time leader in points, goals and assists among defensemen. In 2026 he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman and, at the Winter Olympics, assisted on the overtime goal that won the United States its first Olympic hockey gold since 1980. He has never played for the Red Wings, but his roots and training remain firmly in metro Detroit.
Highlights
- Born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan; trained with the Detroit Belle Tire club
- Played college hockey at the University of Michigan
- Columbus Blue Jackets' all-time leader in points, goals and assists among defensemen
- Won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2026
- Helped the United States win Olympic gold in ice hockey in 2026
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Born here · 1997
Grosse Pointe (birthplace)
Status being checked
The Detroit-area suburb where Werenski was born and raised.