Dev Camp Diary: "The Work Starts Now"

After four days of learning about what it takes to get to the NHL, the final day of Kraken development camp was about having some fun on the ice. In front of hundreds of fans who packed Kraken Community Iceplex, the players competed in a 4-on-4 scrimmage that saw Team White build a big lead before Team Blue battled back to win 8-7.

After team pictures, and the awarding of the "Stucky Cup" (named for Kraken assistant equipment manager, James Stucky), 34 players crashed into the locker room for the controlled chaos of final chats with media, packing of gear, and exit interviews with hockey operations.

Amidst the bustling, we asked 2023 draftee Zaccharya Wisdom if he could process what this week meant to him.

"Just being able to live the lifestyle of a pro for a little bit," Wisdom said. "It's something to dream about - just wearing the gear, the jersey, seeing the fans out on the rink. It's hard to put into words, but it's been so fun. I'm blessed to be here."

Wisdom is a player whose speed and compete level make him stand out on the ice. And that internal drive is evident off the ice, as well. Easy going and approachable, Wisdom and his brother, Zayde (a prospect in the Philadelphia Flyers organization) grew up watching their mother do everything she could to help her sons work towards their hockey dreams…"all thanks go to her," Zacch said.

Mirroring that work ethic, the 19-year-old efforts led to a career year in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (59 GP, 28-20-48) this past season and on Thursday, he got to hear his name called by the Seattle Kraken during the NHL Draft.

Among the many sending along congratulations were NHL player Wayne Simmonds and Los Angeles Kings' prospect Akil Thomas. There was a lot of happiness but also a bigger message from them: "The work starts now."

That point became more and more clear as development camp went on. Wisdom has a list of lessons from the past five days that he'll take with him as he heads to Colorado College in the fall.

"You have to be disciplined," Wisdom said. "You have to eat right, sleep right, train right, recover right, all of that. I think that's the biggest thing: taking care of your body and taking care of yourself."

But if there's one place Wisdom wants to work on all of that, it's with the Seattle Kraken. As a Black athlete, Wisdom isn't naïve to the limits that have existed in the game of hockey for underrepresented communities in the past. But the diversity of the Kraken organization definitely didn't go unnoticed by the young forward.

This week alone Wisdom was instructed by visiting coaches Katelyn Parker and Lennie Childs as part of the NHL coaches' association diversity program. He met Kraken radio broadcast Everett Fitzhugh, the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in the NHL, knows of broadcaster JT Brown and saw just as many women as men among the Kraken staff with whom he interacted.

"I come in here, and I don't feel judged," Wisdom said. "I don't feel like I shouldn't be here. I feel comfortable and I can't really say that about too many places. So, it's nice, it's a good feeling to be here."