Excellence–on and off the ice–was recently honored and recognized by the National Hockey League as they honored Zayde Wisdom with the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence. The award, presented by NHL Central Scouting in honor of the late McGuire, is given to the candidate who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism. NHL Central Scouting determined the E.J. McGuire Award winner in March during their final virtual meeting to determine the top players in North America.
View the entire Wisdom story at NHL.com
“It definitely hit home when they told me I won the award,” Wisdom said. “I feel I’ve worked my whole life, have struggled for a long time, but am grateful for every single part of my life, so getting an award like this, especially from a guy like Wayne Simmonds, who’s had to go through sort of the same thing I went through growing up in Scarborough (Ontario), was something else.”
Wisdom (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) is No. 54 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters for the 2020 NHL Draft, up from No. 90 in the midterm ranking in January after he scored 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 62 games for Kingston this season.
Wisdom was presented the award by Buffalo Sabres forward Wayne Simmonds at The Ford Performance Centre in Toronto on Tuesday. He is a forward for Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League,