[Menschwarmers] Welcome to the golden age of Jewish NHL players

Ellin is off today, so we're bringing you the latest episode of Menschwarmers, The CJN's Jewish sports podcast. Hear more at thecjn.ca/menschwarmers

Jewish hockey is having a moment. Players like Adam Fox, the Hughes brothers, Zeev Buium, Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and Devon Levi are having a major impact on the ice—and with more Jewish players joining the NHL each year, fans are holding them up as role models for the community’s youth.

Jonny Lazarus has lived through both sides of that story. The Long Island native played Division I hockey at UMass Amherst and Mercyhurst and represented the United States at the 2017 Maccabiah Games. But during the COVID shutdown, realizing he wasn’t going to make it pro, he pivoted to making hockey content. These days, he co-hosts Morning Cuppa Hockey and is working on a new interview series with Bleacher Report.

Lazarus joins Menschwarmers to give a wide-ranging preview of the 2026-27 NHL season. They chat about major Jewish players to watch—including Lazarus’s childhood friend and former campmate, Adam Fox—and Lazarus shares his own journey of breaking into the hockey-talk industry.

Plus: the Jewish MLB postseason comes to an end, the PWHL approaches its new season, NBA hopefuls Noam Yaacov and Lajae Jones fight for roster spots, and the boys preview the incoming crop of International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner )
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video editor), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director)
• Music: Bret Higgins

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