Since Matvei Michkov began training in southern New Jersey before the Flyers‘ season, a familiar name has been mentioned frequently: defenseman Egor Zamula. The now 24-year-old went undrafted but signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers in 2018. In May 2023, Zamula resigned a one-year contract.
This past summer, Zamula resigned a two-year contract with an (AAV) of $1.7 million. The left-handed defenseman played 92 games within his four seasons of taking the ice for the Philadelphia Flyers. This past season, Zamula played his most games in a singular season with 66, and he scored his first goal and concluded the season with five goals total. While Zamula did spend time with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he’s now making himself a part of the Flyers’ core.
Last season, Zamula was the only Russian on the team. With the departure of former Flyer Ivan Provorov last offseason, there have been few on the team since. Ivan Fedotov came over towards the end of last season, luckily for the Flyers, and gave Zamula a friendly face. Now, with Michkov, there are three Russian players. Zamula played in the WHL, and when he was in Canada, he felt a sense of community with his fellow Russians.
Zamula spoke on having a more extensive Russian hockey community in the NHL,
“All Russian players in the NHL are very close because we know each other. Whether it’s Ovi, (Alexander Ovechkin) (Evgeni) or Malkin, you can text them and go for dinner before a game, and the guys will answer you and tell you about good restaurants in Pittsburgh and Washington. You will go talk about hockey, but we’re friends outside of hockey, not on the ice.”
A sense of family is what the defenseman cherishes the most. Zamula said what he would do if a Russian player got traded to Philly, “I would tell him good shops and museums and try to help him.”
Zamula went right into work this off-season, starting his journey back home in Russia for most of the time. He stated, “I had a short summer this year. I started skating after the season concluded. I skated one-on-one with a coach to work on my skating. I also worked on my strength, including my hands.” Besides hockey, the defenseman shared, “I spent a lot of time fishing, golfing, I spent time with my friends, and practicing every day.”
When Zamula returned to the Philadelphia area, he trained in Voorhees alongside his teammates. He shared, “When I came back here, I was very excited for the new season.” A notable pairing at training camp has been Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen.
“I like it. We have good communication. We are friends, and I feel very comfortable playing with him because he’s such a big right-handed defender and for me, he’s a very important player on the team. He’s had much experience, so he tries to help me play better,” Zamula shared.
With the defensive pairings already forming at camp, there is a good chance this will be the third pair for this season. While there could be tweaks and adjustments ahead of the season, this would be a complimentary pairing.
With Zamula’s offensive play looking impressive lately, he’s been making himself noticed at training camp. During a scrimmage, he had multiple shots and goals.
There is no doubt that Zamula put in the work this off-season. However, looking ahead to this season, Zamula shared his goals: “Step up to the next level and be in the lineup every game.”
When it comes to the team’s goals for this season, there’s been a lot of confidence in getting back to where they were last year with being a playoff-contending team but getting in. “I was very happy about last year. All the young guys stepped up, as did the older guys. We had a good run, but we struggled. The biggest thing is to bring respect. In the last few years, nobody respected us. Last year, we told everyone we could play good hockey, have good style, and be tough to play against. I hope this year will be better because everybody wants to taste the playoffs,” Zamula shared.
While every NHLer’s goal is to hoist the Stanley Cup, getting to the playoffs is the first step. Zamula only played in the playoffs once in juniors.
He explained the feeling: “It’s the best time in hockey when the fans go crazy, the media is crazy, and it’s different hockey. It’s not like the regular season; you need to play smart and simple. I hope we have a good taste to play the first playoff games this year.” Zamula is a player who’s already been proving that this season will be different with his abilities to be an excellent teammate to Michkov, put in the work during the off-season, and be ready to prove what he can do in hopefully the full 82 games of the regular season.
