Flyers Prospect Update: Egor Zamula

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Egor Zamula missed a lot of time after his injury at the World Juniors tournament last year, and preparing for his rookie season of pro hockey with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2020-21 was anything but easy for him while back home in Russia during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I tried skating in Russia, but it was tough because of COVID - everything was closed," Zamula told InsideAHLHockey.com last week.

As Zamula went on to explain, he was eventually able to get on the ice after "my billet paid a lot of money", along with Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ottawa Senators forward Evgeni Dadonov, to open a local rink where he skated with some talented NHL forwards while trying to get back into 'hockey shape' prior to his rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL).

The statistics on Zamula's rookie season to date - zero goals and five assists, and eight penalty minutes in 22 games played - don't accurately tell the full story of how his first season of pro hockey is going.

"You know, honestly, I wouldn't say he's had a lot of downs, but he's had it to adapt to the pro game. He's young," Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon said of Zamula's progression this season, adding, "But even when he wasn't at his best, he still was making a contribution with this game."

Not unusual, there's more to what's happening on the ice for him and his game than what shows up on the score sheet.

"I came here and played maybe five games, and probably [didn't] understand a little bit about this league," Zamula admitted of his transition to the pro game in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. "It's different after World Juniors, and junior hockey in Canada."

One common theme expressed this season from Gordon - across the board - is that he hasn't had to coach effort with this team. Guys coming to the rink ready to work, learn and get better certainly makes the coaches job a little easier.

"I'm a smart kid. I like learning how coach wants me to play here," Zamula said, mentioning regularly watching video of things the coaching staff is working on with him. "Sometimes I play not great, but as a young player I like learning and working hard to try to be better every game."

Zamula certainly had plenty to learn about the pro game coming in, and earlier this season Gordon mentioned that Zamula was almost too fearless in the way that he'd carry the puck up ice on the breakout.

"There isn't a play he doesn't think he can make," Gordon told reporters after a game earlier this season.

Gordon explained that he has conversations with the defensemen regularly, and told one such story - a cross-sport analogy - while meeting with the blue liners that perfectly - and maybe sometimes effectively - hammers the point home.

He said he asked the defensemen one day, "Who is Tom Brady's favorite guy to throw to?"

And some of the defensemen responded with answers you would expect. Gronkowski, Edelman, etc.

Gordon then completed the analogy.

"To the guy who is open."

An interesting comparison, albeit a fair one in regards to explaining to Zamula and the other defensemen that you don't have to go coast-to-coast or make a stretch pass to the far blue line every time. Sometimes the best play is no play, and you chip the puck out and live to fight another day.

Don't get it wrong, however. Gordon's philosophy as a coach embraces the fact that the defensemen play a vital role in the team's offense and encourages more activation in the neutral zone and defensemen joining the rush.

Getting back to Zamula, he's certainly capable of threading the needle with a stretch pass and blowing past an opposing defenseman down the wing of the offensive zone. He's shown that in flashes throughout the season - logging big minutes with the Phantoms in all situations this season.

After getting his feet wet, Zamula's comfort level and ice time grew up until a blocked shot mid-season caused a lower body injury that resulted in the rookie defensemen missing a few games prior to the team's COVID-19 outbreak that saw multiple positive cases and caused the team to be shut down and off the ice for nine days - going 16 days between games when they finally resumed game action in early April.

But still, Zamula returned from the hiatus and put together arguably his best stretch of games on the season.

"The way he's responded coming back from injury, he's been better than he was at any time prior to his injury," Gordon said of Zamula's play in the AHL prior to his NHL cup of coffee. "And he's been excellent, these three games, he's [been] a horse."

Unsurprisingly, the NHL call up to the Philadelphia Flyers' - Zamula's first ever - came not long thereafter.

The way Gordon and Zamula tell the story, the rookie blue liner almost missed the call if not for Zamula's roommate Maksim Sushko.

"I'm watching a movie at lunch time and eating my lunch and Sushko comes to my room and says "Z, what are you doing?" I say I'm chilling, what happened?," Zamula recalled.

Sushko had explained to Zamula that Gordon called him asking what Zamula was up to since he wasn't answering his phone. At first, Zamula said he was confused why Gordon would call Sushko and not him directly.

"This is my new American number and he had my old Canadian number," Zamula explained to Gordon when he called the Phantoms' head coach. "[Gordon] tell me congrats kid, keep playing hard and enjoy."

Zamula performed ably in his two-game look with the Flyers before returning with the Phantoms to finish out the remainder of their 2020-21 season, which wraps up next Sunday, May 16th with an afternoon faceoff against the Binghamton Devils.

"It was probably the best time in my life. And for my parents and my 1st coach in Russia," Zamula said of his NHL experience. "It was a great experience for me to play with the big guys. I need to be ready to play hard every shift. I played a lot in [my] first and second [NHL] game. I'm happy and I'm trying to work hard every shift and try to move the puck well and skate faster."

In terms of the coaching staff being able to communicate with Zamula this season, there isn't much of a language barrier. Zamula speaks English very well, and he says he understands more than he is able to speak. For things that might be a little confusing to him, Sushko is able to translate and help out in that regard.

"After I was injured, I missed hockey and I tried working hard on the ice with the guys and the coaches," Zamula said of his missed time due to injury, adding that despite not playing he made the most of that time. "I want to say thank you to all the coaches here, they show me video teaching me a lot and trying to help me be ready to play with the Flyers."

As for what Zamula needs to do heading into the final week of the AHL season, it's about continuing to build his game, his comfort level, his confidence and leaving a strong final impression with the Flyers' management and staff. A productive summer's work of off-season training might be able to put him over the top and give him a chance to earn a spot on the NHL roster out of, what is expected to be, a full training camp in the fall.

"I need to work hard in the summer, in the workout room harder , eat a lot of food and be ready for camp to show the coaches that I'm ready to play there."