The Flyers have re-stocked their defensive depth in recent drafts, but their darkhorse could come in the form of undrafted Egor Zamula.
The Flyers currently boast a strong defensive core. Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen lead the way. Travis Sanheim and Phil Myers are right behind them. So they’ve done well to secure up their defense.
It’s no surprise they have always been towards the top when it comes to their development system. But with a lot of players graduating to the NHL recently, the Flyers have had to re-stock their prospect pool. They’ve added six defensemen to the group in the last two drafts. They have also gotten lucky in free agency as well.
That was the case when it came to Myers. He was passed over during his draft year but found himself at Flyers training camp on a tryout. He impressed and was offered an entry-level contract. He took off after that and the rest is history for him.
And that’s exactly what the Flyers may have in Egor Zamula as well
Before the Flyers found him, Zamula had spent some time playing in Russia with Traktor Chelyabinsk and Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In his last season with Metallurg, Zamula posted three goals and 26 points in 36 games. He came over to North America after that, debuting with the Regina Pats in the WHL.
The transition was hard at first as Zamula put up just seven points in 38 games before heading to the Calgary Hitman. He found his touch a little bit more with the team, grabbing 11 points in 31 games.
Before his 2018-19 season, he was first invited to the Calgary Flames training camp. Leaving there without a contract, he was then invited to the Flyers training camp on an amateur try-out. He appeared in the rookie game and two official preseason games. That was enough for the Flyers to ink him to an entry-level contract.
He rewarded them big time after he was sent back to the WHL. He broke out with the Hitmen, posting 10 goals and 56 points in 61 games. It was a massive improvement from his rookie season. And Chuck Fletcher wasn’t shy at praising the young defensemen during the team’s rookie camp last summer.
"“The one guy, to me, that just keeps getting better every day is Zamula. He’s an impressive young man. He has another year of junior, so he’s not a candidate to make our team this year in Philadelphia. But I saw him last year play junior, watched him play in training camp with the Flyers last year and he just continues to get better and better.”"
Set up for a strong junior campaign, Zamula was off to a good start this season. He had seven goals and 28 points in 28 games.
He also posted two goals and five points for the Russian squad at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. While helping the team win a silver medal, it turned out Zamula was playing through an injured back. And that would be it for his junior career after that.
He has been in Philadelphia rehabbing after surgery. Zamula is set to open the season with the Phantoms. It’s possible he could blow everyone away during training camp. However, he would likely have to put on quite the show to step right into the NHL.
Starting in the AHL will give him time to get stronger. Already towering over players at 6-foot-4, Zamula will need to put on some more muscle to compete at the higher level. Being in Philadelphia and under the watchful eye of the team will certainly help.
The sky appears to be the limit for Zamula as the Flyers may have found another diamond in the rough.