As a young 20-year-old playing in sort of a playoff exhibition game, Zamula didn’t look out of place one bit. Yes, he has some rawness to him as he stands at 6’3 and weighs 176 pounds. However, Zamula played like a player who was on the verge of making the team outright in a usual Fall training camp.
The young 20-year-old defenceman in Zamula has a great hockey IQ. He is fast, plays with an edge to his game, is an offensive minded defenseman, and doesn’t shy away from physicality especially with driving players into the boards. Overall, Zamula is a stud, that just needs to work on building muscle. He may be a little undersized in terms of muscle to compete with the rigors of a full 82-game NHL season, but that didn’t change some players minds about him, “He’s a great player, great kid,” Flyers star Defenseman Ivan Provorov said yesterday following practice, “He wants to learn. I just told him to be himself and don’t think too much. Just play your game and enjoy every shift. Try to learn every shift. I think he’s done a great job so far during camp. He’s getting better. I think he’s a great player and only going to get better and better.”
The Calgary Hitmen product in Zamula registered 7 goals, and 21 assists in 28 games played for the Hitmen before his season was cut short due to back surgery. Moreover, Zamula registered two goals, and three assists in seven games played at the WJC, while playing injured according to Zamula,” I didn’t know much about Z,” Veteran Defenseman Matt Niskanen said yesterday, “Man, this kid’s got some skill and confidence with the puck. You can see he’s got the potential to be a player. Probably just needs some reps at higher speed and with the big boys.”
Niskanen continued, “He’s going to be a good one, I think. And Provy is a very mature, what’s he 22, 23, a very mature player. He’s got a ton of experience for his age now. Just the translation piece is huge for Z, I would imagine. He’s got a great role model in Provy. A good pro already and a very high end defenseman in this league already. That’s a great situation for Z.”
It has been well documented that Provorov has taken Zamula under his Wing, and he began doing such (As we know) in Phase 2 of the Return to Play Format. The more Zamula learns from a fantastic defenseman in Provorov, the better it will help Zamula in the future, “It’s a great opportunity to be on the ice with the high level players,” Zamula said to his translator in training camp, “He’s really enjoying and feels like he is growing every single time he’s on the ice with the players. He’s getting something new and better every day.”
Zamula proved his worth throughout Flyers training camp receiving high praise from General Manager Chuck Fletcher, “The one guy to me that just keeps getting better every day is Zamula,” Fletcher said during camp, “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. He has a tremendous package of size, skill and skating, and as he matures and gets stronger, he’s going to be a pretty impressive player.”
It’s the way Zamula carries himself that is catching the eye of everyone throughout the Flyers organization. He is hard-working, can skate, is good at poke checking, and can transition well from offense to defense. Zamula uses his speed effectively to close gap on opponents, as well. All in all Zamula is a defenseman to watch in 2020-21, and having him in Toronto is beneficial for his development as he learns how to become a Pro. The sky is the limit for this young man in Zamula.
I know Ron Hextall is great at drafting talent and finding hidden gems like Zamula! So my question is a guess for you Gregg Lorentz: What was he thinking when he used second round pick for Adam Ginning? Because you can find Robert Hägg 2.0″s much later in the draft!
Adam Ginning may not be progressing as planned, but he is as you imply, a Robert Hagg 2.0. Ginning is never going to light it up offensively, but he’s big, can skate and knows how to play great “defense“. I was a little disappointed with Ginning at the Flyer’s development camp last year though. He seemed to lack confidence and I also watched him in a couple of televised games in the Swedish Hockey League last season. His ice time seemed to be limited from the year before, which wasn’t a good sign.
Yes, Ron Hextall thought a lot of Ginning to use a 2nd round pick on him, but Ginning is still young and learning. Robert Hagg was a late bloomer himself as we all know, so maybe Ginning will pan out. There’s a good chance Hagg could be Seattle’s expansion draft pick next June, so a guy like Ginning could actually fill the same role Hagg has played so well, on defense. We shall see. For Ginning to do that, he will have to step it up this season in Sweden. I still like his tremendous potential. Gregg Lorenz
By the way, Robert Hagg has become one outstanding shut down defenseman for the Flyers and a penalty killer every team would love to have on the blue line. His old school style of defense often goes unnoticed. Hagg protects the crease area from great players who can score. He’s a banger and you need a couple of physical players on D to frustrate the top lines in the NHL. Hagg prevents goals and even though he doesn’t play a flashy offensive style, his play on defense is huge. If GMs had known what kind of player Hagg was going to turn into, he probably would have gone late in round one in his draft year. -Gregg L