The PDA Newsletter | Zach Hyman Case Study
What’s the most valuable skill a hockey player can have — the one that earns respect, shifts, and ultimately contracts?
Zach Hyman didn’t enter the NHL with hype like a typical top prospect.
He wasn’t the fastest. He wasn’t the most skilled. While others were labelled as the future, he was overlooked.
Eventually, some of those names faded. Hyman kept rising.
He mastered something few do: the ability to adapt, elevate, and impact winning at every level. He didn’t bank on potential. He built a game around proof.
Now, he’s essential, not because he demands attention, but because he earns trust. Every shift. Every role. Every time it matters.
This is the story of how relentless effort became a foundation and how trust became a superpower.
Always One More Rep
From the OJHL’s Hamilton Red Wings to his time in the NCAA with the University of Michigan, Hyman never projected as a top-line NHL forward. He was a grinder with upside, a player known more for his motor than his ceiling. But there was one thing that never wavered: his effort.
“He was relentless,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “He wanted to be great, and he worked like it every day.”
While others focused their attention on other skills, Hyman obsessed over the details: winning battles, supporting plays, hounding pucks, finishing checks, body positioning on the puck and recovering hard on the backcheck.
He became the kind of player coaches trust — the one who buys time, wins possession, and sets the tone.
That trust became his entry point. The rest, he earned. Hyman was eventually taken in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by Florida.
The Leap with the Leafs
Hyman’s first NHL break came in Toronto, but nothing was handed to him. He rotated lines, logged tough minutes, killed penalties, and made himself useful wherever needed, even on the fourth line.
Then, his production caught up to his presence.
Skating with young stars like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, Hyman didn’t just keep up, he made them better. He was first in on pucks, never feared a battle, and was a driving force behind their transition game.
“You can throw him on any line,” said Matthews. “He makes us better.”
The Player He’s Become
Zach Hyman went from overlooked grinder to foundational piece on a Cup contender:
54 goals in the 2023-24 NHL Season
Career-high 77 Points
Consistent playoff performer and 200-foot contributor
Top-line winger for one of the league’s best offences
Leadership presence and tone-setter across every shift
He’s proof that consistency, grit, and adaptability can become a skillset — one that builds trust, earns roles, and defines winning teams.
What Players Can Learn from Hyman
1. Trust isn’t built in your highlights — it’s built in habits.
Hyman earned his coaches’ confidence at every level by doing the small things right every shift. Effort and reliability became his calling card.
2. Your role doesn’t define your impact.
Whether on a checking line or with elite scorers, Hyman shaped games the same way — with structure, pace, and energy.
3. The best skills don’t fade.
Puck retrieval, body positioning, and relentless backchecks don’t go out of style. Hyman built his game around traits that always translate, no matter the level of play.
4. Adaptability separates you.
Each level came with new demands and Hyman didn’t resist them. He reshaped his role until he became indispensable.
So, what’s the most valuable skill in hockey?
Trust.
That’s what Zach Hyman built his career on.
He never needed headlines, he needed opportunity. When it came, he outworked doubt, outlasted hype and turned himself into a winning formula every team wants on the ice when it matters most.
Actionable Advice
Are you the kind of player a coach trusts when the game’s on the line?
Start by owning the habits that don’t rely on talent: effort, structure, and consistency.
Then build upward, because the players who create trust, create opportunity.
Every coach needs someone like that.
Make sure it’s you.
