Projection: First-pair defender
Projectable skills: Four-way mobility, puck moving, lateral mobility, all-around involvement
Development Opportunities: Strength, offensive assertiveness

Nyman is hands down the best defender in the '08 Ontario class. He's so incredibly mobile in every direction, wants to be involved in absolutely everything, and just has every characteristic I am looking for in a defenceman. Zach is a one-man transition machine, using his lateral mobility to dodge, spin, and evade forecheckers so seamlessly and keep play flowing up ice. He has every tool at his disposal to develop into that do-it-all #1 defenceman that is so tough to find.

Like Valentini, there isn't much here I can knock on Nyman's game. His tools are fantastic, and his playstyle is precisely what I am looking for in defenders. I like his defensive game, using clever body positioning and well-timed poke checks to deny threats, but getting stronger will definitely be of use when facing up against the tough competition in junior. I've always noted Nyman for his off-the-charts transition impact, but I recently found him to be much more assertive offensively, thinking more about exploding toward the net off the point and driving for scoring chances. Given that this is a relatively new theme I've started to see from him, I'd definitely encourage him to keep experimenting with asserting himself more offensively, as he has all the tools to do so.

Of course, Nyman looked incredible. There hasn't been a viewing of the Kings this season where he hadn't, and I always come away with glowing notes about how impressive he was. While there's so much I could talk about from this performance, the main element that stood out was his assertiveness in the offence zone. When he got the puck at the point, he wanted to pounce, push things forward, and always attack. As soon as the puck touched his stick, Zach was looking to explode down the wall or to the net, blowing by forwards trying to contain him at the top of the zone. This consistent desire to take over and impose himself every time he was on the ice generated so many scoring chances and was at the core of his success in this game.

What stands out primarily with Nyman is how smoothly and efficiently he gets around the ice. He’s able to shake and escape forecheckers with relative ease on retrievals, using either quick changes of directions or a strong series of crossovers to pull away. He wasn’t afraid to activate and join the rush in this one, carrying pucks up the ice with immense confidence and driving the net to push back defenders and create space for his teammates. He drew a penalty in the second period by making a quick cut to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone, forcing the opposition to trip him up to avoid a high danger scoring chance. On the ensuing power play he took a pass at the top of the point, waited out a defender, dragged it around him then fired a perfect shot bar down into the top right corner. With his team down 5-4 with just a couple minutes remaining, Nyman flexed his offensive muscles yet again by picking up a puck at the faceoff dot, outwaited a sliding defender then firing another perfect shot past the American goaltender. There weren’t many performances from the back end that were better than the one Nyman had in this one throughout the tournament.

The Korean side didn't mount much of an attack, but on the few occasions they successfully exited their zone or entered the offensive third, Nyman thwarted many of their transitions. As always with Zach, he aggressively took away time and space, combining his mobility and positioning to suffocate opponents and break up play. After winning back possession, Nyman was effective at spinning away from pressure, spotting a man up ice, and transitioning the puck back up ice with control. It wasn't that frequent, but there were some flashes of him transporting the puck up the ice, showcasing his skating abilities to weave in and out of pressure and contribute positively as a puck carrier.

There hasn't been a viewing of Nyman that I've come away unimpressed, and surprise, surprise, the GTHL Top Prospects Game was no exception. His mobility was on full display, frequently leveraging it to impressively spin away from forecheckers and side-step pressure and continue on his way up ice with control. Time and time again, he used his feet to escape a tricky situation and then swiftly moved the puck up ice to an open teammate. Finally, Zach had a few impressive passes within the offensive zone to teammates in the slot area, adding some offence to his transition dominance.

Nyman has easily been my favourite defender to watch this season, and of course, that theme remained at the Silver Stick. The mobility in his game is always sensational to watch. He can seamlessly skate his way out of any pressure, turn in any direction, and just do whatever he wants on the ice, all by how mobile he is. His feet enable him to dominate as a puck carrier and shut down opponents' transitions, as he can shadow their every move and pounce to free up the puck. Nyman manages the puck so well, always finding paths to controlled exits and entries on almost every puck touch, and plays such a vital role in the Kings' transition game. It's rare to find a defender who can transition the puck up ice so cleanly, and that's one of the main attributes that makes Zach so unique in this class of defenders.

Nyman was exceptionally on the defensive side of the puck in this game. He shut down almost every forward coming his way, relying on his feet to mirror their every move, take away their time and space, and deny them from advancing to the dangerous parts of the ice. Even when Wassilyn was trying to razzle and dazzle his way around, Zach was composed and dispossessed him. Within the offensive zone, Nyman impacted the Kings' powerplay as a distributor and used his mobility to create and access shooting lanes. Every game, it seems like there is a new element I come to appreciate, further cementing him at the top of the class as I see him more and more.

In every game I watch of the Vaughan Kings, I rave about Zach's mobility, and I could do the same now, but I want to highlight another element. Nyman just settled everything down in this game. Whether it was a dumped-in puck or a retrieval zone regroup, he slowed things down every time he touched the puck and ensured the Kings transitioned with seamless control. No decision or pass was ever rushed, and almost everything he tried to do resulted in a play under control. The mobility, as always, was fantastic, but this calming presence on the Kings' blueline is something I wanted to highlight that stood out in this viewing of Nyman.

There weren't "wow" moments in this game from Zach, but regardless, it was still a very impressive performance. Everything he does is just so clean, efficient, and executed with perfection. Nyman makes retrievals look so easy, made possible by his exquisite pivots and turns, and he always exits the zone with perfect control. With the puck, he is so calm and composed, allowing him to dominate as a puck transporter. Zach was fantastic as Vaughan's powerplay quarterback, being evasive at the point, shifting the defence out of position, and then distributing it to open teammates.

It was a "simpler" game from Zach, but an impressive game. While he certainly had his moments, he was less involved in activating up ice into the rush or in the offensive zone, which is what I've raved about plenty before. Zach's value in this game was more on the defensive end. Even when guarding talented Zajic, Nyman wasn't beaten and disrupted his opponent's attempts to maneuver by him. As always, his skating is flawless, pivots and turns from forward to backward are near perfect. There were a few sequences where Nyman relied on this top-end maneuverability to recover, catch up to a streaking attacker, and neutralize the threat.

Nyman was fantastic at every game at the Toronto Titans Tournament. The first thing I need to mention is the flawless skating ability. The turns, pivots, cuts, spins, straight-line speed, all of it is amazing. His lateral mobility is the most impressive, opening up so many possibilities when he has the puck. He can evade forecheckers so easily, using misdirection so effectively to deceive forecheckers and gain space. His mobility enabled Nyman to excel on retrievals, dominate in transition, and navigate around forwards while operating at the point. He would be slightly out of position a few times, and his skating allowed him to recover, catch up to the attackers, and deny any dangerous chance from materializing. The second element that stands out in Nyman's game is his aggressiveness. In almost every situation, Zachary is aggressive in his choices. Especially in the neutral zone to apply pressure, Nyman is constantly looking to apply pressure to force a turnover before his opponents enter his zone. Once his team regains possession, he is aggressive and always activates to join the attack. He's looking to support his forward on rush sequences and be a passing option. The final key element I had plenty of notes on was his play at the offensive blue line. He's so patient with the puck, hides his intentions incredibly well, and opens up passing lanes so effectively. Rarely does he opt for a shot from distance, but he's constantly looking to walk the line, gain space from forecheckers, and generate a high-danger chance. Entering the tournament, I knew Nyman would be the top defender in the province, but I didn't think he'd separate himself from his defensive counterparts this much.

Entering the Prodigy Elite League, Nyman is my runaway favourite to open the year as my number 1 defenceman in the province, and his play in week 1 did nothing but confirm my thinking. Zachary is such a smooth skater, who can use lateral moves to spin, turn, or stutter step his way around a forechecker and continue up ice with control of the puck. His agile skating enables Nyman to be evasive, and it can be a spectacle to watch. Pairing with his skating package is his skills with the puck. Not only can Zachary shimmy his way by pressure using his edges and footwork, but he can dangle his all over the ice, making him an even more enticing player. Finally, the Kings' defender was active getting up in the rush, always looking to join in on the attack and involve himself in the offence.

Nyman was the player I was most familiar with entering the game as he played up with the 07 Vaughan Kings, and I watched a few games of the 08s back at the Port Huron Silver Stick. As such, it was no surprise that Nyman managed the puck so efficiently. Especially at the point, he was constantly scanning for passing options and looking to connect passes together to create a dangerous chance. Rarely did he opt for a low-danger play, and he always was looking for a pass through seams to teammates open in scoring position. Zachary is very mobile, especially laterally, which he leverages to walk the blueline and skirt the opposition trying to dispossess him. Finally, I loved that Nyman constantly looked to get into the slot area for passes. He was never stationary at the point and was always rotating into open space, looking to be available for a dangerous pass. Again, it wasn't surprising that Nyman stood out, but nonetheless, it was an impressive performance.

I liked Nyman back at the Port Huron Silver Stick and was curious how he'd fare on this stage. The 2008 defender only suited up in some Kings games, but I liked the limited shifts I saw of him. He showed tremendous confidence with the puck, which was impressive playing up an age category. Nyman was deceptive at the point, looking to beat forecheckers and win a lane to the net. He didn't hesitate to jump up in a rush and always looked for a controlled transition up ice. It's not a detailed write-up, but I mostly appreciated that Nyman had the confidence to play his game at this level and not opt for "safer" decisions and try to blend in.

Zach Nyman was a very fun player to watch from the Vaughan blue line. His skating ability is excellent and the way he can stop his momentum in one direction and quickly shift his body into the opposite direction and get a few quick steps in to accelerate away, he was difficult to close down at the point. His puck handling skills when paired with his skating ability were great, and he was able to bob and weave through some of the defensive pressure and out into space. When retreating to his defensive zone he was able to keep the play in front of him as he skated back and kept a nice gap with his stick and made some good poke checks. He did not need to get heavily involved in the offensive side of things for his team, but he showed the willingness and capability to do so when the opportunity came knocking.

Like Hage, Nyman was another focal point of the King's powerplay. Zach effectively operated as the quarterback on most sequences and effectively distributed the puck to his teammates in prime scoring chances. Nyman didn't hesitate from penetrating in tight, which drew in defenders leaving his teammates wide open, to which he quickly dished the puck. In addition, Nyman was active in the neutral zone, denying multiple transitions and sparking counter-attackers for the Kings. Off those disruptive plays, he didn't hesitate to jump up in a rush and get involved in the offense.