Grasping the 24/7 Grind

Monday mornings elicit all manner of reactions among us. For Kraken prospect Zaccharya Wisdom this summer, the start of the workweek translates to getting out of bed to train hard ahead of his sophomore season at NCAA Division I Colorado College.

“Someone’s always working harder than you,” said Wisdom when asked to identify a piece of advice instilled in him from hockey mentors. “That’s a big one for me – and my brother [Zayde, 22, a 2020 fourth-round draft pick by Philadelphia]. Whenever you don't feel up to it on a Monday morning, just know someone's doing it, and they're doing it harder than you. I just keep that grind going 24/7 because [seeking an NHL career] is a job. Obviously, it's a great job. But at the end of the day, it's still a job, and there's a lot of people trying to play.”

The Kraken selected Wisdom in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft, impressed by a 28-goal, 48 point-season in 59 games for USHL Cedar Rapids. Another positive: Wisdom shows clear ambition to be physical in all zones, whether it's hits along the boards or bumps in traffic to knock foes off balance. Scouts commend Wisdom for making contact, which “always serves a purpose,” per Elite Prospects.

As an NCAA freshman, Wisdom, a right wing, scored a goal in his first college game. He went on to notch ten goals and added ten assists in 33 appearances, coming on strong in the second half of the season for a Colorado College squad that just missed receiving a bid to the Division I men’s tournament, finishing with a 21-13-3 record and No. 15 ranking. One highly notable personal and team highlight for the Kraken prospect: Wisdom scored four goals in a 7-1 mid-February rout of division rival and then-No. 2 nationally-ranked University of North Dakota.

Even better for Wisdom was that, in a rarity, his mother attended that four-goal game. The Kraken seventh-rounder makes a point during media interviews about how much he owes his mom for the privilege of playing the game he loves. Mairri Wisdom worked a variety of jobs, double shifts and odd hours to pay the bills and keep the Wisdom brothers in hockey gear during their childhood in Toronto. One memorable position: Mairri was an overnight tow-truck driver with enough room in the cab for Zaccharya and Zayne to sleep before Mom dropped them at school when the shift ended.

Wisdom’s scoring touch makes him different than his older brother (two years apart), who has played in 123 American Hockey League games over the last three seasons. But the younger Wisdom said there are distinct similarities in how the brothers “W” play the sport.

“Both of our work ethics are very, very well-known,” Wisdom said on the eve of the Kraken’s early July development camp. “We’re alike in the way we use our bodies on the ice, what we do when there are battles in front of the net. A lot of it is just heavy on the puck. We share that kind of playing style.”

Wisdom’s first two goals in the aforementioned North Dakota game provide evidence of how a physical game and willingness for contact can pay dividends in the offensive zone—which figures to significantly improve as he seeks added muscle to a 6-foot, 175-pound frame. Wisdom scored his first goal off-balance, redirecting a linemate’s errant shot in mid-air. On the second goal, he was holding steady net-front to convert on a rebound put-back.

“I got cross-checked on the first one,” said Wisdom in a post-game media scrum. “I was just swinging at [the puck]. I wouldn’t say it was skilled play; I just got lucky. You’ve got to have luck to score four goals, I guess.”

At the NCAA level, Wisdom’s aggressive comportment is in an environment with all sorts of opponents who are as old as 23 or 24. He credited the Kraken’s 2023 development camp with helping him prepare for the college season by facing so many high-end fellow prospects. But also admitted to a bit of nervousness early in the Colorado College schedule.

“The biggest thing was confidence," said Wisdom. “That first game, I was shaking in my boots. It was super exciting but intimidating as well. At first, I wasn't really playing my game. I was playing more not to mess up. By the end of the year, I was just playing hockey.”

In an indicator of maturity as a 19-year-old freshman, Wisdom provided a veteran’s answer when questioned by a reporter after the four-goal game about his competition with fellow freshman Evan Werner for first-line minutes during the stretch run of the season: "He's motivated as well. Everybody wants to play on the first line. We're fighting for a spot. He's getting better, I'm getting better, and it's making the team better.”

Wisdom’s teammates were vocal about the Kraken prospect rising in impact off the ice as the Tigers season unfolded. His dedication to the grind—including on Monday mornings, of course—was noticed and admired.

“He’s such a character; everyone loves him,” said sophomore goalie Kaidan Mbereko to collegehockeynews.com reporter Joe Paisley during the regular season. “The guys really gravitate towards him, which is amazing when you consider he is a young guy but seems to have been here for so long. He is becoming a leader on the team. He approaches it like a pro. It’s exciting to see that, especially from a freshman.”

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