KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Zaccharya Wisdom didn’t need much of an introduction to Western Michigan’s hockey program last spring.
 
Wisdom first met head coach Pat Ferschweiler at age 15 while attending the Chicago Steel tryout camp and later visited the Kalamazoo campus. He remained interested in WMU before ultimately committing to Colorado College, where he spent the past two seasons – a decision he wouldn’t change.
 
However, once the dust settled on the 2024-25 campaign, Wisdom entered the transfer portal. And when the opportunity to become a Bronco presented itself again, he couldn’t pass it up.
 
“Once last season ended, I spent a couple weeks talking to my mom, my brother, my agent – just all the people closest to me, and I wanted to figure out what would be best for my future,” Wisdom said. “Honestly, it was stressful and kinda scary at times, because you’re going into uncharted territory. But you’re also excited for something new.

“I started looking at my options and I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and that was here. I thought learning from the staff would give me the best chance to play professionally and obviously, they’ve had a lot of success the past few years. So having the opportunity to be a part of that, it was an easy decision, and it’s been great so far.”
 
Wisdom played 69 games over his two seasons at CC, predominantly at right wing alongside Gleb Veremyev and Noah Laba – who has played 54 games as a rookie for the New York Rangers this season. Wisdom put up 41 points (18-23-41) over those 69 contests and helped the Tigers earn 39 wins.
 
Wisdom, a 2023 seventh-round draft pick of the Seattle Kraken, already has 20 points and a career-high 12 goals through 28 games in a Bronco sweater. And he feels his game continues to improve, especially offensively.
 
Along with winning a national championship last April (and a Penrose Cup last March), Ferschweiler has churned out plenty of pros over the past four seasons: Ronnie Attard, Alex Bump, Brandon Bussi, Sam Colangelo, Ethen Frank, Jason Polin, Max Sasson, Tim Washe – the list goes on.
 
Wisdom hopes to add another name in the near future.
 
“You look at what the staff here has done and what they’ve done for me so far, and they do such a good job developing players,” Wisdom said. “I give a lot of credit to the staff in Colorado too. I have nothing but love for all the people out there, and I really enjoyed my time there. And in hindsight, I think how much I played early helped a ton.
 
“They gave me a chance to have an immediate impact and I was trusted pretty quickly, and I think that really helps mold you into the type of player you want to be. So those two years put me in a good spot coming into (WMU) and I wouldn’t change anything about my path.”
 
The path has been winding at times for the Toronto native, but it’s part of what’s made his journey special.
 
Wisdom and his older brother, Zayde, grew up in a low-income neighborhood where their mom, Mairri McConnell, worked multiple jobs to pay the bills and simply allow them to play hockey. Neither their mom or dad, Anief Wisdom, had a hockey background and countless sacrifices were made along the way – which helped shape their core values today.
 
The brothers began skating by chance, too, as with their mom working double shifts, they often stayed after school.
 
Zaccharya remembers skating on an outdoor rink one of their teachers built behind their school, which initially got them started on the ice. They ultimately fell in love with skating and hockey shortly thereafter, and they’ve never looked back.
 
“A lot of our drive comes from the sacrifices our mom had to make, and seeing what she did for us has always pushed us to be our best,” Wisdom said. “She’s always been our inspiration and I know we’ve always had a never settle and keep working mindset in our family because of it. So it feels good to see how far we’ve come, but there’s still so much to prove.”
 
“Everything we do is for our mom, and we’ve always believed everything is earned and nothing is given,” added Zayde, who is currently teammates with reigning NCHC Forward of the Year Alex Bump on the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. “We watched her struggle a lot growing up and it was tough to see, but it also taught us so much, and eventually we want to reach the highest level and be able to take care of her.
 
“That’s always been ingrained in our heads and Z (Zaccharya) has always been a really hard worker, but he’s become one heck of a hockey player too. I’m always going to think of him as my little brother first and foremost, but he’s kept his head down and kept working over the years, and he’s never let the outside get to him. So to see where he’s at now, it’s crazy, but it’s also super exciting, and he’s got such a bright future ahead of him.”
 
Wisdom’s work ethic and character also impressed WMU’s staff.
 
“We recruited him pretty heavily the first time around and we’ve always liked him as a player, but we’ve really liked the person, and I’ve always had a ton of respect for the kid and how hard he works,” Ferschweiler said. “We felt his speed, his intensity and his tenacity really fit the way we played, and our style could unlock some more offense.
 
“Plus with us losing (Alex) Bump and (Tim) Washe, we had some holes to fill and needed leadership and that veteran presence. He checked those boxes.”
 
Ferschweiler lauded Wisdom’s ability to possess the puck in the offensive zone and go to the net, along with his forechecking. He added Wisdom is someone he "can trust in any situation" too.
 
Wisdom currently ranks third on WMU’s roster in goals and fourth in points, but arguably his biggest impact won’t show on the stat sheet.
 
“He’s genuinely as good a kid as I’ve ever coached,” Ferschweiler said. “I’ve had a lot of great ones over the years, but he’s up there for sure, and with his smile and approach to life and hockey – he just lights up a room.
 
“He’s someone that’s infused our room with positivity from day one and he’s added leadership through action. He’s a shining example of what to do every time you come to the rink and what you have to do if you want to be a great player. So he’s been a very important part of our team and he’s been a wonderful addition to our group.”
 
Wisdom is hoping the next addition will be more hardware this spring. After all, it’s one of the main reasons he joined the Broncos. 
 
“I came here to win and become a better hockey player, and it’s been great so far,” said the junior forward. “We’ve got an outstanding group of players and leaders here, and I’ve just wanted to do my part and help us win however I can.
 
“I think we have the right guys and the right coaches to make a push and do something special come tournament time. Obviously they had a great year last year and I know the guys that came back are hungry, so hopefully we can keep winning and get back to that point.”
 
Fourth-ranked Western Michigan (20-8-0, 12-6-0 NCHC) currently sits fourth in the NPI and will host Arizona State (13-16-1, 6-11-1 NCHC) this weekend at Lawson Ice Arena in its penultimate regular-season home series. Wisdom and the Broncos then travel to his old stomping grounds to face the CC Tigers next weekend in Colorado Springs.
 
For now, the focus is on Friday’s game against the Sun Devils, which is set for a 7 p.m. ET faceoff, followed by a 6 p.m. ET start on Saturday. Both games can been seen on NCHC.tv.