The founder of Swift Hockey built his company from a rink, after years of playing junior hockey and seeing firsthand what the sport asks of the families who love it.
He saw an opportunity: pro-level performance and accessibility do not have to be mutually exclusive. By building smarter and staying close to the players and families who use the gear, Swift has carved out a real place in one of the most brand-loyal categories in sports.
We sat down with Zechariah to talk about what it takes to build that kind of trust, how the player experience shaped every business decision, and what he believes the industry still gets wrong about the families it serves.
1. Briefly share your background.
I’m the Founder and CEO of Swift Hockey. I started the company after playing junior hockey and seeing firsthand how expensive the sport had become for families. I didn’t go the traditional university route. Instead, I learned through experience, books, mentors, and building businesses from the ground up. Today, Swift Hockey serves players across North America by making elite performance equipment more accessible while continuing to grow the game we all love.
2. You played junior professional hockey before launching Swift Hockey. How did life as a player shape the way you saw the equipment market and was the idea for Swift something you were thinking about while you were still on the ice?
Playing hockey gave me a front row seat to the challenges families face. I watched players spend hundreds of dollars on sticks that would break after a few weeks and saw talented kids struggle with the cost of equipment. While I was still playing, I started questioning why top-level gear had become so expensive.
The idea for Swift wasn’t fully formed while I was on the ice, but the frustrations and observations definitely started there. As I learned more about manufacturing and the industry, I realized there was an opportunity to build a company that could deliver elite performance without the elite price tag.
3. Athletes who become founders often talk about transferable skills — compete hard, stay disciplined, handle adversity. What did playing hockey teach you that still shows up in your everyday life?
Hockey teaches you resilience. You’re going to lose games, make mistakes, get cut from teams, and face adversity. Business is no different.
The sport also taught me discipline and accountability. Nobody cares how hard you worked if the scoreboard doesn’t reflect it. The same thing applies in business. Results matter. Hockey taught me how to handle pressure, work with a team, and keep showing up when things aren’t going your way. Those lessons have been invaluable as an entrepreneur.
4. Who is Swift Hockey built for and how does knowing your player shape every decision you make about product, price, and how you show up in the market?
Swift Hockey is built for the hockey family.
It’s built for the parent trying to balance the costs of a sport they love. It’s built for the player chasing a dream. It’s built for the beer league player who still loves competing every week.
Knowing who we serve impacts everything. We obsess over product quality because performance matters. We think carefully about pricing because affordability matters. We focus on being authentic because hockey players can spot fake marketing from a mile away.
5. Hockey equipment has some of the most loyal brand relationships in sports. Parents buy what they learned with. Kids want what the pros use. How did you get Swift Hockey into that conversation?
We didn’t try to outspend anyone. We focused on earning trust.
We got sticks into players’ hands and let the product speak for itself. We listened to feedback, improved constantly, and built relationships one player at a time. Social media helped us tell our story, but ultimately, players don’t keep using a product because of marketing. They keep using it because it performs.
When people started seeing Swift sticks in junior hockey, professional leagues, and local rinks, the conversation started to shift. The credibility came from the players.
6. What is the one thing most hockey equipment brands get wrong about the people they are supposed to be serving?
I think many brands underestimate how informed hockey families are.
Players and parents aren’t just buying a logo. They’re looking for value, performance, durability, and trust. They want to know that a company actually understands what they’re going through.
The best brands don’t just sell equipment. They become part of the hockey community.
7. Youth hockey has so much going for it — the community, the competition, the life skills it builds. Where do you see the biggest opportunity to make it more accessible and get even more kids into the game?
The biggest opportunity is reducing barriers to entry.
Equipment, ice time, travel, and development costs have all increased dramatically. If we want hockey to continue growing, we need to find ways to make participation more affordable.
There are incredible organizations already doing this, but I believe the entire industry has a role to play. More affordable equipment, community programs, sponsorship initiatives, and creative partnerships can help bring more kids into the sport.
8. Technology is starting to move into youth and amateur sports in a serious way — scheduling, operations, family experience, data. Where do you see the biggest opportunity to make hockey better for the next generation of players?
Technology has the ability to make development more accessible.
Not every player has access to elite coaches or expensive training programs. Technology can help bridge that gap through better education, training tools, analytics, and communication.
I also think technology can simplify the experience for families. Anything that reduces administrative headaches and allows parents and players to spend more time enjoying the game is a positive step forward.
9. What's your favorite sports moment, on or off the field?
One of my favorite moments wasn’t actually as a player.
It was walking into a rink and seeing kids using Swift Hockey sticks without knowing who I was. Years earlier, Swift was just an idea. Seeing players choose our products and become part of the community we’ve built was a surreal moment.
For me, that’s what it’s all about. Not just building a company, but creating something that has a real impact on the sport and the people who love it.
The Game Behind The Game
Swift Hockey exists because someone who played the game decided to build something better for the people still in it. That same instinct, to make the experience better for players, families, and the organizers who make it all happen, is what drives Fastbreak AI. From the tournament directors and club administrators who make those early experiences possible to the brands and families who show up every weekend, we build the technology that reduces the administrative side so parents and players can spend more time enjoying the game. Learn more about
About Top of the 9th
Top of the 9th is a Fastbreak AI original series featuring the athletes, organizers, and operators who make youth and amateur sports exceptional.
