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.