Color of Hockey: Thomas, 23-year-old stick company founder, on Forbes list

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Zechariah Thomas, a 23-year-old retired minor pro hockey player from Oshawa, Ontario, who was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30 List 2026” for Swift Hockey, a hockey stick company he founded in 2022.

Zechariah Thomas still can’t believe that he’s right there with Auston Matthews, NFL quarterback Josh Allen, NBA all-star center Victor Wembanyama, MLB slugger Juan Soto and tennis superstar Coco Gauff.

Thomas, a 23-year-old retired minor pro player who started a hockey stick and apparel company in 2022, was selected along with those multi-millionaire pro athletes on Forbes’ “30 Under 30 List 2026.”

“It's a pretty crazy feeling to be honest, being with some of those guys and what they have done in their sport,” he said. “Kind of being in that same conversation definitely doesn't feel too real to be honest.”

Thomas learned it was real on Dec. 2 when Forbes informed winners they had made the magazine’s annual lists of 30 impactful and influential people under the age of 30 across 20 fields that include sports, entertainment, social impact, manufacturing & industry, art & style, AI and finance.

He and Matthews, the 28-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs captain and one of the NHL’s highest-paid players ($13.25 million average annual value), are the only people affiliated with hockey who made the list.

Forbes said the “30 Under 30” 2026 listees have raised $3.8 billion in funding and amassed a following of more than 200 million on social media.

Thomas had the opportunity to rub elbows with some of his “30 Under 30” classmates at a private list launch celebration in New York City on Thursday.

“It was a great feeling,” he said. “It’s one of those awards you always think of as a kid, but you never really think that it would be possible.”

“Honestly, all the work, we had to finance myself, and everything I’ve had to sacrifice to be here, to see this kind of recognition publicly, it’s a nice feeling.”

An Oshawa native, Thomas established Swift Hockey at 19 with the aim to design, manufacture and sell high-quality carbon fiber hockey sticks at an affordable price that could compete with name brands like Bauer, CCM, Warrior and True.

Thomas, who played for teams in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Federal Professional Hockey League and Team Jamaica at the Amerigol LATAM Cup, said he founded the company with $100,000 he earned through an e-commerce company he started when he was 18.

The sticks are made in China, the same as the larger companies, he said.

Thomas said he views affordability as a main obstacle that prevents kids and their families from participating in or advancing in hockey. Swift sells junior, intermediate and senior carbon fiber sticks between $159 and $179 (U.S.) and junior, intermediate and senior goalie sticks between $179 and $199 (U.S.)

“We're one really small component on accessibility, but equipment is definitely still a big issue,” he said. “And us giving high quality gear that's branded, that's marketed properly and better than the competitors as well, at more than half of their cost, that’s what’s changing the game, ultimately.”

A game-changer for Swift Hockey came in Sept. 21, 2023, when Thomas successfully pitched his company and scored a $70,000 deal for the company on an episode of the popular CBC TV series “Dragons’ Den,” Canada’s version of ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

“'Dragons’ Den' gave us a stamp of approval, that we were a real company, that we’re an actual, legit company,” he said. “It’s not as big as ‘Shark Tank’ where you’re leaving the episode with millions of dollars’ worth of sales right after. It was pretty slow, but we were able to leverage it in our ways.”

Thomas said Swift Hockey has sold more than 60,000 sticks with sales approaching $7 million (CAD) since he established the company. About 65 percent of his business comes from the United States, he said.

“For some reason, we market better in the States,” he said. “The biggest aspect is the conversion rate. And hockey in the U.S., they’re more open, I feel like, more open and accepting overall to new things.”

Swift’s personnel have grown from Thomas and two buddies to a staff of 20. Swift opened a satellite office in Syracuse, New York, in January and the company has become a supplier for the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Thomas has had to steer his young business through difficult times. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted the supply chain from China and limited inventory for a while. Increased tariffs on imported products imposed by the U.S. have also presented challenges.

“That's a really big problem we're dealing with,” Thomas said. “We opened a U.S. office in Syracuse, and that's kind of been a little bit of help because we're able to get shipping costs down. But it’s still pretty bad on us, and there's no way to fight it. I've stayed kind of true to myself and my mission, and we haven't raised prices in any sort of way. So, yeah, we're absorbing the cost.”

The obstacles haven’t stopped Thomas dreaming about what’s next for Swift.

“We want to keep growing, keep building inventory," he said, "and then we really want to make the same difference within all sports.

“Hockey is my love and passion, and that's kind of where we started, and it was the easiest for me to start there. But I've seen the same problems within any sport that requires equipment, I feel like that could be kind of our power play, going into sports as a whole and taking over that way.”