A Prospect To Praise: Zach Hyman

Being at an NHL Draft, you’ll experience of ton of moments that you’d never see on television. You’ll see the draft picks walk directly to the TSN set, which is actually ON the stage, you’ll feel the excitement right before the #1 overall pick is announced, and you’ll get an up-close look and just how young these kids are.

Something that you can only appreciate by being in attendance is just how different the second day of the NHL draft is compared to the first. No kidding, there are more people on the floor representing the 30 NHL teams than there are fans in the stands. The media section isn’t quite as full as it was the night before, and a lot of the people who ARE there are talking and networking instead of paying attention to the roll call of names. In the stands, it seems like more and more of the people left were actual prospects or related to said prospects.

Of all the hype and excitement around the 1st round of the NHL Draft, one of the things I’ll remember most was a small moment in the middle of day two. We were getting to that point where the draft is a crap-shoot for anyone watching. There are a few players left who had been falling over the last few hours, but for the most part, the kids with the big names were long gone. Even the most hard-core draftophile would be looking through notes after a name was called. To be honest, the draft starts to get a little boring after a while.

The big board had just flipped between the 4th and 5th rounds and whoever was up on stage had just rattled off two names to kick start the next round. At this point, the Florida Panthers already had a huge weekend, so you had to figure Dale Tallon and Co. were content with what they had accomplished.

So why am I talking about a random 5th round pick that went to the Florida Panthers? It wasn’t so much that his name was called but what I saw afterward. When Zach Hyman was drafted 123rd overall, it probably wasn’t any different than the 122 selected before him. But my vantage point was different. And what I saw will be something that will make me root for this kid for the rest of his career.

As his name was called, he got up and took his time to hug every member of his family. Sure, everyone shows love, right? But Hyman was different. He was close enough for me to see him take his time and individually thank every single person that came with him. He didn’t just give the mindless hugs and scurry down to meet with his new team. He took his time, hugged and thanked every single person that was there with him. The look on the family members’ faces as they looked at him was a look of pride that is usually strictly reserved for parents. But the entire family had the look. And there were a lot of them.

After he had finally expressed love and gratitude to everyone around him, he made his way to the aisle to go down to the floor. Instead of meeting with the Panthers rep who was patiently waiting for him, he turned around and headed up to the top of his section (about 10 feet from me). He found a guy who was sitting in the last row, all by himself without anyone near him. The man flashed a huge smile—almost surprised Hyman was in front of him—and extended his hand for a handshake. Hyman gave the man a hug.

A few of us watching tried to figure out who the guy was. He wasn’t sitting with the rest of the family, so he obviously wasn’t part of the Hyman clan. Also, he extended a hand when everyone else was hugging, so we were pretty confident when we ruled out family. The interaction between the two looked like a professional relationship—but a CLOSE professional relationship. We decided that it was probably and agent or a coach. I was leaning towards a proud coach—but honestly we were all guessing.

The point was that even though this was Zach Hyman’s moment in the spotlight, he still took the time to thank every single person that was around him. When he was done with that, he stopped, and made the effort to find someone else who was obviously helpful in him getting to this point in his career. This was the kind of kid that had his priorities in order. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it takes a good human being to think of others first at any age—let alone at 17-years-old.

The moment was moving enough that it made me stop, appreciate the moment, and write down the kid’s name so I could follow up later. What is this kid’s deal? Is he just another guy who gets drafted who we’ll never hear from him again? Did he slip in the rankings? I wanted more of a back-story that could help explain the scene I had just witnessed.

Here’s the deal: The kid is smart. We’re talking Ivy League type smart.

“Coach Turnbull is preparing me for Princeton and providing tools to help my dream of playing in the NHL come true. There’s always room for improvement. I will continue to work hard on ice and in class and have confidence the rest will take care of itself by NHL draft day.” –Zach Hyman

After seeing his choice in universities, it’s easy to see why he played last season in the CCHL so he could maintain his college eligibility. While he was with Hamilton, it wasn’t like he was just killing time before school. He was the youngest captain in the CCHL last year.

Not only that, he’s the kind of kid who says it’s an honor to be captain. He’s the kind of kid who calls former players “Mr. so-and-so” or “sir.” He’s the kind of guy who says he’s happy for other guys when they make a national team when he’s left at home. But more importantly, I actually believe it when he says it.

“I have always worked extremely hard to combine my athletics and academics. I am very proud and happy about the opportunity that I have been provided.” –Zach Hyman (via HamiltonRedWings.com)

Interestingly enough, his decision to put academics on the same level of hockey might have been the biggest reason he fell so far in the draft. In preserving his eligibility for Princeton, he was not able to go the normal CHL route like many others in his age group. But let’s be real, when you hear things like, “Prior to juniors, Hyman was thought to be on par with the likes of Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner,” from Hockey’s Future, he’s a little more intriguing than your average 5th round pick. They’re not the only ones thinking he has a bright future. Mark Seidel from Central Scouting thinks that he could be the steal of the draft.

Obviously, Hyman is going to have his work cut out if he wants to make an NHL lineup one day. If it’s tough for 1st and 2nd round picks to make it to the show, then the obstacles in front of a 5th rounder will be just as difficult. There aren’t many sure things in the NHL Draft and the ones who are certainly aren’t picked in the 5th round. But after getting a brief glimpse into Hyman’s character, he seems like he will do all the little things it takes to get the opportunity.

All I know is I‘ll be rooting for him.