Meet Connor Zary, the newest Flame
By Ryan Pike
3 years agoIt might shock you to learn that Connor Zary, Calgary Flames’ 2020 first round selection, has never been to a regular season National Hockey League game. Growing up, the Saskatoon product has always been busy with his own games or practices.
As fate may have it, the first NHL game he attends may be one he’s playing in.
One of the older first-year eligible players in the 2020 draft class – he was born 10 days after the cut-off for the 2019 draft – Zary enjoyed an offensive breakout in 2019-20 with Orrin Centazzo and Zane Franklin on the Kamloops Blazers’ top line. Chatting with the media via Webex following the first round, Zary noted that he had good meetings with the Flames and had a feeling he would be putting on a red jersey.
“Obviously when they game up at 19 I was kind of getting nervous, and then they traded their pick,” chuckled Zary. “And then they were back up again [at 22] and they traded their pick again, and then I was still available for them and I kind of thought, ‘this is going to be it.'”
While he’s never been to the Saddledome as an NHL spectactor, Zary is no stranger to the building. He’s played against the Hitmen in the ‘Dome twice – most recently he had two assists on Dec. 9, 2018 in a 6-3 loss – but he also played in the 2016 Mac’s Midget Tournament. He was named a first-team tournament all-star, but his Saskatoon Contacts lost in the championship game on New Year’s Day, 2017.
Zary was a first-time conference all-star in the WHL this past season, finishing top five in the league in goals and points. As you can see, his point totals were bolstered by some nice special teams work.
First-time draft eligible WHLers, by points
| Player | Total | ES | PP | SH |
| Seth Jarvis | 98 | 68 | 27 | 3 |
| Connor Zary | 86 | 44 | 38 | 4 |
| Tristen Robins | 73 | 48 | 25 | 0 |
| Ozzy Wiesblatt | 70 | 43 | 27 | 0 |
| Jake Neighbours | 70 | 50 | 19 | 1 |
First-time draft eligible WHLers, by goals
| Player | Total | ES | PP | SH |
| Seth Jarvis | 42 | 32 | 8 | 2 |
| Connor Zary | 38 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
| Tristen Robins | 33 | 23 | 10 | 0 |
| Ridly Greig | 26 | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| Justin Sourdif | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
As a rookie, Zary had six even strength goals and 18 even strength points. The next season, he had 18 even strength goals and 48 even strength points. This past season, he had 20 even strength goals and 44 even strength points – granted, he played six fewer games than the prior season. The growth in his offensive output has primarily been due to his increasing comfort and confidence with the puck on the Kamloops power play.
For those who haven’t seen Zary play, here’s how he described his game:
I think I’m a really skilled forward with a high hockey IQ and I like to make plays with the puck. I like to make players around me better and find the open guy and be able to find the open ice if I don’t have the puck. I think I’m really good at finding the back of the net and finding the open guys and creating plays to put the puck in the back of the net. I also really stress on playing a 200-foot game and being a presence in the defensive zone to get the puck back. I think that’s something I’ve really prided myself on the last couple years, is being a good defensive player before the offense comes. I knew the offense, the skill and the IQ has always been there for me to make plays with the puck in the O-zone, so I think just focusing in on the D-zone was key for me.
Zary, who compares his playing style to Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly, noted that he’s headed back for one more season in the WHL. He thinks he’ll be in a position to fight for a spot, and perhaps make a difference in the lineup, with a couple of good seasons of development.
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