| Zaccharya Wisdom | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | R | RW | 6’1″ | 172 | Uncommitted | Toronto, ON | 2004 | 2022-2023: C+2021-2022: C |
USHL: Cedar Rapids vs Dubuque, December 6, 2022: Shoot first mentality!! Puts himself in positions to gather pucks and hammer them on net. Will shoot from all angles but does a consistent job at cutting to the middle of the ice to get pucks on net. Has that unique ability to sneak in behind defenders go unseen and get shots through to the net. Scored a beautiful goal by driving middle lane receiving a pass with his feet moving and head up meanwhile burying a wrister into the net. Has that goal scorer’s instincts and had many chances to score throughout the game. Grade: B+
USHL: Cedar Rapids vs Waterloo, November 26, 2022: Scored the lone goal for his team tonight with an incredible one timer shot from the slot. He showed patients with this shot setting himself up right in the slot being in a good spot to react to a turnover receive a slot pass or help in the corner if he needed to. This was an area where he had to score and he did. As a right handed forward he has an inherited glove high advantage nd he took that beating the goalie in that exact spot bar down. Grade: B+
USHL Showcase, November 15, 2022: Wisdom is a good-sized high-compete gritty forward out of Ontario who is entering his second season with Cedar Rapids. He’s got a bit of a wide-based stride limiting his agility and explosiveness but he’s got decent straight line speed and used his size and speed to drive wide on defenders on zone entries. He has a soft set of hands he can cradle the puck at speed and receive hard passes forehand and backhand in stride. He’s not a dangler but he can make a quick move inside on the rush and get pucks to the net and showed some touch on his centering passes and cross-ice passes in the neutral zone. Wisdom takes contact he protects the puck in the corners and behind the net and was able to shield it from defenders reach on net drives. He scored the lone goal for his team this weekend on a catch and shoot as a late trailer coming down the wing and fired it the second he got the puck for a great goal. The teams leading scorer so far this season Wisdom has a chance to put himself back on NHL Draft radar with another strong season because he brings a grit and energy factor that makes him standout among the other high scorers in the league but he’s not as polished either and has some stride deficiencies. Grade: B+
USHL: Cedar Rapids vs Des Moines, November 10, 2022: With two goals on the night he carried his team to an important victory that included a short handed tally for the righty. He has great speed that can catch defenseman flat footed and did just that on his first goal of the night. As Wisdom picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone he quickly turned a corner and beat a defenseman wide who wasn’t expecting his speed. As he go in tight he was able to coral the puck and lift it bar down over the goalies shoulder. It was the best goal of the night. Grade: A-
USHL: Cedar Rapids vs Muskegon, March 8, 2022: Wisdom is an average size forward who plays with energy and agitation. He plays with good work ethic, seems to agitate the opponent, and finishes his checks. He showed flashes of offensive ability including some quick hands and puck control. He also made good reads to intercept passes and break-up plays. He assisted on the Riders’ go-ahead 3rd period goal in game 1 with a slick move to jump around and evade the pressure from the opposing player and get the puck towards the net ultimately leading to the goal. Grade: B
USHL: Cedar Rapids vs Madison, January 27, 2022: Wisdom has an absolute cannon for a shot! Has a long reach/stick which allows him to change the angle of his hands to protect the puck from defenders. Additionally, Wisdom’s long reach allows him to drive wide and shoot pucks on net without getting tipped away. Although being a shooter first, Wisdom’s ability to use his long strides and size/strength to gain ice on his defenders is effective in getting to the net for jam plays and in-tight passing plays. He has some things to learn on the defensive side of the puck, but his game is solid and shows lots of promise in the offensive zone. Grade: B-
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling University