Zelenak is a big, skilled defender who has a physically mature body. He uses his long reach and long stick to keep forwards out of shooting position and to close off passing lines. He plays some strong physical hockey, both giving and receiving big hits. He shows a willingness to hack and wack, defending his crease and teammates, and getting in the opposition’s face after the whistle. For his size, Zelenak skates well. Under duress from forechecking players, he has no panic; instead, he often just skates with the puck behind the net and makes some space for himself. That is not to say he is immune to making some questionable decisions, throwing some inaccurate passes and even making some very dangerous passes from time to time. Zelenak is often involved in the offense, not just rushing the puck to the offensive zone, but moving the puck into the zone and trying to be creative. He makes strong short passes to skating forwards, and even shows his vision and skill by throwing longer-range passes up ice for scoring chances. He has a great shot. His one timer is exceptionally hard and accurate. Zelenak’s wrist shot is also dangerous. He shoots whenever he can, but needs to make sure he has open lanes as he can often just drive a shot into a closed-off lane when his options are limited.  (May 2016)