First-rounder Connor Zary signs deal
Zary signs contract with Flames, helps Canada beat Finns
For many of us, 2020 was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
At least Connor Zary finished off the year with a day he'll never forget, though — and in the best possible way.
Not only did the 19-year-old do his part on the ice in helping Canada knock off Finland at the world juniors in Edmonton, he also happened to put pen to paper on an entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames.
Yeah, it was a pretty good day. “Two of the biggest things you dream of as a kid are playing in the world juniors and playing in the NHL,” Zary said.
“Obviously, I got to play in the world juniors yesterday and got to take one of the biggest steps toward playing in the NHL by signing that contract. It was a really exciting day for me and my family.”
There's an understandable excitement in Zary's voice when he talks about playing for Canada and what the future may hold with the Flames, although he's far more focused on the immediate task ahead of him at the world juniors than whatever comes later.
That's almost definitely going to involve attending training camp with the Flames, something GM Brad Treliving suggested was likely to happen in an interview on Thursday.
The Flames' first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (24th overall) shouldn't be expected to stick around with the club this season. Zary's offered a tantalizing glimpse of the versatility he brings at the world juniors, though, and that's something Treliving suggested will be important as he looks to crack the roster down the road.
The Flames see Zary as a centre but he's been playing mostly on the wing for his country, and the Saskatoon native said he's just been trying to add to his skill set and soak in as much knowledge as he can.
“When you go from junior into this tournament and further on, hopefully into a pro career, the level of hockey just gets better, so it's bringing yourself to understand different roles and knowing different things,” Zary said. “Even if you end up playing a skilled role at the next level, you can still take into consideration all these things you've learned and put them into your game to make you better overall.
“I think that's definitely something I've embraced by being here. Everyone here is obviously an unbelievable player and every forward is a first-round pick, so you're going to have to do different things and some things you're going to be used to and they're normal, and some things you're not going to be used to, so I think just for me to be adaptable and show what I can bring to the table to everyone here.”
Through four games with Canada, Zary has picked up two assists. That doesn't really illustrate the offensive arsenal he's displayed through three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers.
In only 57 games for the Blazers before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the WHL season last year, Zary scored 38 goals and added 48 assists.
His offensive prowess may not immediately translate to similar numbers in the NHL, but he's hoping to be able to contribute sooner rather than later and will go into his summer training program this year hoping to make Flames management think long and hard about keeping him around.
For now, though, Zary's focus is firmly on helping Canada win gold at the world juniors. He doesn't know where he'll be playing this winter when the tournament's over, so he's controlling what he can control and taking things day by day. That might sound cliché, but it's also pretty smart for a guy in Zary's position.
Already, Zary says he's begun to feel at home in the Flames organization. He's been to Calgary to work out after getting drafted and has chatted with a couple of the guys already on the team. He'll likely be skating with them at training camp in the next little while.
Having fellow Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier on the Canadian team doesn't hurt, either. They'd previously played together at the 2019 under-18 world championship in Sweden, and the good news for Flames fans is Zary's got nothing but good things to say about Pelletier, who may wind up being his teammate for many, many years.
“Yeah, Pellts is awesome,” Zary said. “He's hilarious, I love the guy. I was with him in Sweden last summer and got another opportunity to play with him at the juniors and it's been awesome. We've got a good friendship and it's pretty sweet.”