Color of Hockey: Wisdom hopes to be selected in 2023 NHL Draft

William Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles players of color eligible for the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville June 28-29. The first round will be Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are Thursday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS).

Zaccharya Wisdom said he's heeding words of wisdom from his older brother, Zayde, heading into the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

"The biggest thing I took from him is, 'Believe in yourself, and if you want to be there (in the NHL), you're going to be there,'" the 19-year-old forward said. "You work hard enough, you'll be there."

Zayde Wisdom, a 20-year-old forward, was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth round (No. 94) in the 2020 draft. Zaccharya hopes to follow in his brother in the 2023 draft after being passed over in 2022.

He is one of at least five players of color ranked by NHL Central Scouting who'll be waiting to hear their names called at the draft Wednesday and Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators.

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Zaccharya Wisdom, who played last season for Cedar Rapids of the USHL, is No. 104 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. He was No. 145 on Central Scouting's final ranking in 2022.

Born in Toronto, he was second on Cedar Rapids with 28 goals and fourth with 47 points (20 assists) and led the team with two short-handed goals in 59 games this season. He's committed to play for Colorado College this fall.

"I like to play the body, I like to be physical, I like to win puck battles," said Wisdom (6-foot, 175 pounds). "I like to do all the gritty stuff, the stuff that some guys don't really like to do. But I also love to play offensive hockey, so I love scoring goals, I love passing, I love getting assists."

Cedar Rapids general manager/coach Mark Carlson said Wisdom is "a really strong character guy, a great teammate who will do anything to help the team win and will play whatever role that he's asked to play and do it with a great attitude."

The Wisdom brothers have benefited from mentorships by current and former Black NHL players and prospects, including brothers Anthony and Chris Stewart, Wayne Simmonds and Akil Thomas, a forward in the Los Angeles Kings organization.

"They're always there for me if I need them," Zaccharya Wisdom said. "Akil's always texting me ... or (if I) just need to talk. It's nice to have that support system there."

Here are other players of color who could be selected in the 2023 draft, in ranking order:

Carey Terrance, C, Erie (OHL)NHL Central Scouting: No. 38 (North American skaters)

Terrance (6-foot, 178 pounds) led Erie in goals (30) and was co-leader in points with 47 (17 assists) in 67 games. The 18-year-old from the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, which encompasses parts of New York, Ontario, and Quebec, had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games for the United States at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Switzerland.

He scored the tying third-period goal for the U.S. in a 3-2 overtime win against Sweden in the championship game on April 30.

"If you ask anyone, it's kind of obvious that speed carries my game and my skating," Terrence said. "Whether I'm on the left wing or playing center, I like to play a 200-foot game. A big part of my game is taking the puck to the net off the rush. Being hard in front of the net, I scored a lot of my goals there this year. I think that's where I'm going to make my money."

Erie coach Stan Butler said Terrance is fueled by the desire to be a leader on and off the ice.

"He doesn't want to go along for the ride, he wants to be the difference in the ride," Butler said.

Jayson Shaugabay, F, Warroad (HIGH-MN)NHL Central Scouting: No. 55 (North American skaters)

Shaugabay (5-foot-9, 165 pounds) is the highest-rated high school skater in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters presented by BioSteel.

He won the Mr. Hockey Award as the outstanding senior high school boys' player in Minnesota after he had 96 points (33 goals, 63 assists) in 31 games this season. Shaugabay has 304 points (114 goals, 190 assists) in 110 high school games over four seasons.

The 18-year-old from Roseau, Minnesota, became the highest-scoring Warroad High School boys player this season, surpassing Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. Shaugabay, an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, also had 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 27 games with Green Bay of the USHL in 2022-23. He's committed to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

"I think I have pretty good hands, a pretty good stick, so I try to use that to my advantage," Shaugabay said. "Some guys have elite speed and that kind of stuff, but I try to use my IQ and my stick and hands and creativity as much as possible."

Green Bay coach Mike Leone said Shaugabay "sees things probably that a lot of other kids don't see" on the ice.

"His ability to see plays before things happen, where guys are coming from, his ability to read pressure and to find open passing lanes that maybe aren't there that he can see are a gift, for sure," Leone said.

Rodwin Dionicio, D, Windsor (OHL)NHL Central Scouting: No. 114 (North American skaters)

Born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in Switzerland, Dionicio (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) hopes to be drafted after being bypassed in 2022, when he was ranked No. 118 among North American skaters.

The 19-year-old defenseman had 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 50 games this season, including 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) in 33 games after Windsor acquired him in a trade with Niagara on Jan. 6.

He had one goal in five games for Switzerland at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, and scored a shootout-winning goal in a 4-3 victory against Slovakia in the tournament.

Dionicio occasionally played wing for Windsor on a line centered by Shane Wright, who was selected by the Seattle Kraken with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 draft.

"He had a hat trick one night playing up there with Shane Wright," Windsor coach Marc Savard said of Windsor's 9-6 loss to Sarnia on March 4. "I think whoever drafts him will want him to be a defenseman because he can run a power player back there. Great power play player, great reach and he's actually got some bite in his game, so he really plays all ways."

Blake Montgomery, F, Mount St. Charles Academy (HIGH-RI) NHL Central Scouting: No. 218 (North American skaters)

Montgomery (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) had 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 23 games for Mount St. Charles in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The 18-year-old from Annapolis, Maryland, will play for Lincoln of the USHL next season and has committed to the University of Maine.

"I feel like the best part of my game is definitely my skating ability," he said. "I think I was a step ahead of others when I'm on the ice. I feel like I think the game very well. I feel I make great plays with the puck."

Montgomery's older brother, defenseman Bryce Montgomery, was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round (No. 170) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He played for Cedar Rapids of the USHL this season.

Their father, Matthew Montgomery, was an All-American defenseman at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, an NCAA Division III school.

Their grandmother, Debbie Montgomery, co-founded the Mariucci Inner City Hockey Starter Association in St. Paul, a program designed to expose urban kids to the sport. She was the first Black woman officer in the St. Paul police department in 1975 and the first Black woman elected to the city council in 2004.

Photos: James "Jeep" DiCiccio/Erie Otters; Andy Scanlon/Cedar Rapids RoughRiders; Mount St. Charles Academy; Cormac McInnis Photography; Dan Hickling Photography; Remo Agostino/Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club