Oilers’ forward Zach Hyman had an unforgettable campaign last season, scoring a career-high 54 goals and adding 16 more during the Oilers’ remarkable 25-game postseason run.

If you had asked any fan, hockey expert, scout, or coach last offseason who should be stapled next to Connor McDavid on Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, set for Feb. 12–20, the obvious answer would’ve been his Oilers teammate, Hyman. After all, the duo played together a combined 2,203:20 minutes in the regular season and playoffs last season. They know each other so well that they probably finish each other’s sentences on the ice, just like a couple who’s been married for decades.

Yet, like many Oilers, Hyman started this 2024-25 campaign slow—at least offensively. The 32-year-old scored just three goals over the team’s first 20 games, a pace that projects to only 12 goals over an 82-game season. To make matters worse, he missed five games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 5 with an undisclosed injury and overall, points-wise, he was on track for one of his worst statistical seasons since 2016-17, when he scored just 10 goals.

That said, Hockey Canada unveiled its final 4 Nations Face-Off roster on Dec. 4, with Oilers’ captain McDavid already selected as one of six players to the team last June. However, his linemate Hyman—who tallied an impressive 70 total goals last season—was notably left off the roster and it’s hard not to think that snub lit a fire under him, as he’s been on an absolute tear since then.

The former 54-goal man made his return to the lineup the very next night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and midway through the first period came the moment Hyman’s season started to turn around for the better.

It began with a ridiculous McDavid dangle, where he toe-dragged a Blue Jackets defender in their slot and, without hesitation, slid the puck to his triggerman, Hyman, who made no mistake and buried the puck past a sprawling Daniil Tarasov. Moreover, the Oilers’ winger added another that game, firing a wrister from distance to beat the Blue Jackets’ netminder, helping secure a 6-3 win for the Oilers.

After that, Hyman went on a scoring spree, netting three goals over the next four games. In the Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 16th, he scored two goals, one of which came on a breakaway tally that resembled his Game 6 highlight-reel goal from the Cup Finals last season.

However, he also took a blast to the face from Evan Bouchard, which forced him out of the game temporarily. Hyman then returned to the ice wearing a full-face shield bubble, which he has continued to wear since.

That said, the aftermath of taking a puck to the face left him with a couple of black eyes, a broken nose, and looking like he’d been in a dustup with some locals at a small-town pub. However, the tenacious forward didn’t miss any games and kept pushing through, producing 10 points in 12 games since then and this stretch also included an experimental stint on the third line for a few games.

Nevertheless, only Hyman himself truly knows what’s fueled his exceptional uptick in play since the beginning of December, but it’s reasonable to assume that being snubbed from Team Canada gave him a little bit of a jolt.

Since the Team Canada roster unveil, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers’ winger has scored 11 goals, tying for fourth in the league over that span and ranking second among all Canadian-born players, with teammate Leon Draisaitl leading the charge among all players with 14 goals. Additionally, he ranks 6th in the league in goals scored (seven) at even strength, second among all Canadian-born players.

In addition, for fans of advanced stats, since Dec. 5th, Hyman ranks as follows among forwards who have played at least 200 minutes at even-strength:

– 1st in Scoring Chances For Percentage (64.23 SCF%)
-2nd in High-Danger Chances For Percentage (67.96 HDCF%)
-2nd in Expected Goals For Percentage (66.31 xGF%)
-2nd in Shots For Percentage (62.86 SF%)

Furthermore, as Oilers fans have come to know since Hyman joined the team in 2021, his grit, hard work along the boards, and finishing ability complement McDavid’s game perfectly. The duo has combined for 158 regular-season goals at 5v5 since 2021, and in a short tournament like the 4 Nations Face-Off, it would have made more sense for Hockey Canada to select a player who already has proven chemistry with the Oilers’ captain, rather than taking a chance on someone unproven in that regard.

For example, would a player like Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs work well with McDavid? On paper, it seems like a good fit, but once players hit the ice, it could be a different story. Both Marner and McDavid like the puck in their hands, while Hyman has a clear understanding of his role—get the puck to his centerman and get himself into position to score.

Additionally, Hyman’s game-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 11 is a perfect example of why Team Canada, or any team, needs a player like Zach Hyman, especially for their power play. When the Oilers went on the man advantage after tying the game 3-3 against Chicago, raise your hand if you had that gut feeling they were going to score on that ensuing PP. And if you polled Oilers fans, I think a large majority would’ve said it was going to come off a greasy goal by Hyman in front.

And that’s exactly what it was. Draisaitl intentionally shot the puck on net for a rebound, and Hyman was right there on the doorstep, parking his keester in front, and buried the rebound for the eventual game-winning goal. Moreover, that goal was vintage Zach Hyman—not a lot of razzle and dazzle, but he gets the job done with hard work and determination.

Hockey Canada, take notice. If one of the Canadian players already selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off roster isn’t able to play come Feb. 12th, you’ve got a forward who’s been among the league’s best over the last month, knows how to play with the best player in the world, and has proven he’ll take a puck to the face and won’t miss a day of work because of it—Mr. Zachary Martin Hyman.