By Ryan Frankson @EdmontonOilers / EdmontonOilers.com

TORONTO, ON - The Edmonton Oilers GTA crew was out in full force on Monday to hit the links in support of teammate Zach Hyman and his Celebrity Golf Classic at Oakdale Golf & Country Club.

It was the fourth ‘annual’ tournament hosted by the former Ontario Junior Hockey League star.

Hyman accumulated 242 points over three seasons playing for the OJHL's Hamilton Red Wings and was the captain of the club in his final term, the 2010-11 campaign where he recorded 102 points. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2010 in the fifth round, 123rd overall.

Hyman’s father, Stuart, is chairman of the OJHL board of directors and governor of the Markham Royals, which is the former Hamilton franchise.

Oilers’ team captain Connor McDavid, as well as defencemen Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard, forwards Ryan McLeod, Warren Foegele and Devin Shore - another OJHL alum – and newly-signed netminder Jack Campbell, were all in attendance for Monday’s golf event, which raises funds and awareness for SickKids and the UJA Federation, as well as other charities important to the forward and his family.

"He's been a great addition to our team," McDavid said during Hyman's third-annual Celebrity Golf Classic, which was postponed the last two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I've gotten to know him personally, training with him throughout the summer. To look around here and see how many people have come out to support him and his event, it's pretty cool to see."

Not only were many of Hyman's current Oilers teammates in attendance, former Toronto Maple Leafs colleagues Mitch Marner and Jake Muzzin hit the course to support the cause, as did Sportsnet hockey broadcasters Elliotte Friedman, David Amber and Kevin Bieksa.

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Edmonton teammate Darnell Nurse

"A tournament like this encapsulates who Zach is," Nurse said. "You see all the teammates he has now, the former teammates and everyone else who wants to support. It just speaks to how good a guy he is and how much he cares about his community."

In addition to working on his golf game, McDavid learned some Hebrew nomenclature during his media availability from the Canadian Jewish News reporter in the scrum who asked him if he was aware of the significance of his teammate's jersey number.

Gematria is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase, and the number 18 represents the Hebrew word for life, with multiples of 18 considered good luck.

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Edmonton captain Connor McDavid

"He brings us a lot of life, that's for sure," McDavid smiled, upon learning of its significance. "He brings lots of energy and lots of life. He definitely represents it well."

Hyman is an active supporter of the Jewish communities in both Toronto and Edmonton, directing a portion of the proceeds from his golf tournament to UJA, whose mission is to preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, Israel and around the world.

This past holiday season, he was also invited to light the giant menorah at the Alberta Legislature Building in downtown Edmonton to commemorate the start of Hanukkah.

"Growing up in the Jewish community, you learn about giving back," he said. "That's something very important to me. Being in Toronto and having roots here, you always want to be able to give back."

Hyman was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2014-15 as the NCAA's top collegiate player with 22 goals and 54 points in 37 games during his fourth and final year with the University of Michigan Wolverines. 

The 30-year-old is also a best-selling children's book author away from the rink.

Hyman won the OHA's B.J. Munro Memorial Trophy in 2011 for the top pro prospect as well as being named Canadian Junior A player of the year, two of the many awards he would win at the Junior level.

He would begin his NHL career in 2015 for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hyman  signed a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $5.5 million with Edmonton one year ago. 

Courtesy: EdmontonOilers.com

For more information on the tournament, go to: hymanhelps.com