Hyman set a surprising career-high in Edmonton Oilers season debut
Zach Hyman made sure to put his stamp on his Edmonton Oilers season debut on Saturday night.
The 33-year-old played in his first NHL game since Game 4 of last year’s Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, but he didn’t appear to have any rust. Hyman was immediately trusted to go back to his top-line role alongside Connor McDavid, and he did that with relative ease.
The Toronto native was flying in his first game back, adding some much-needed energy to the Oilers’ forward group. To show just how eager he was to make a return, Hyman managed to set a new career-high with a whopping 11 hits recorded against the Carolina Hurricanes, en route to a 4-3 OT victory.
It’s safe to say that Hyman was feeling okay in his season debut.
Hyman had 11 hits in his return, McDavid posted a three-point night & Draisaitl delivered the OT GWG! We have your winning numbers from yesterday's #Oilers road victory against Carolina.@CenturyCasEDM | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/t5Ss8XxMea
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 16, 2025
That ranks fourth all-time in Oilers history, placing behind a 13-hit game by Adam Larsson in 2017, a 12-hit game from Darnell Nurse in 2020, and a 12-hit game by Jujhar Khaira in 2021.
This is nothing new for Hyman, and it should be clarified that this is only a regular-season career-high for him. He was an absolute wrecking ball throughout last year’s playoff run, before he got injured, recording a 13-hit game in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights.
In fact, he was on pace to break the NHL record for most hits in a single postseason run, but landed just short at 111 hits through 15 games, missing Blake Coleman’s mark of 126.
“Picked up right where he left off,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said of Hyman after the game. “The way he was playing in the playoffs… He played 20-plus minutes tonight, not an easy task for a guy who hasn’t played for several months.”
"I like where itās trending."
Coach Knoblauch offers post-game insights following the #Oilers 4-3 overtime victory.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/WLqMhpm2h0
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 16, 2025
Hitting wasn’t the only thing that Hyman was doing on Saturday night. He also chipped in on the scoresheet, taking a hit to make a play and assisting on a McDavid go-ahead goal in the third period.
It was the exact type of play that had been missing from this Oilers squad this season.
Hyman ā© Leon ā© McDavid
Just like old times! pic.twitter.com/MD2mspm3cI
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 16, 2025
While it’s only been one game, Oilers fans will be hoping that Hyman can keep bringing this kind of play to the table.