Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula makes NHL debut, calls it ‘the best day of my life’

Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula made his NHL debut Tuesday in New Jersey, and before the game, he could not contain his emotions.

“I’m feeling great. It’s probably the best day in my life to my parents, to me, and to my first coach,” the 6-foot-3, 177-pound Russian said. “I’m ready to play and l’m looking forward to winning this game.”

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He talked on the phone with his parents before the bus ride to the Prudential Center.

“My parents told me good luck, and enjoy life, and enjoy your game,” he said.

Zamula, 21, who played 17 games with the Phantoms and made great strides this season, was asked what he hoped to show the coaches in his first NHL game.

“I need to ... play good defensively, and play every shift hard,” he said. “Move the puck well and [make a] good first pass.”

Zamula had a solid debut. He was plus-1 and had three shots in 19:19 of ice time.

Head coach, Alain Vigneault said he didn’t know what to expect from Zamula.

He has received reports from management on Zamula’s strong play with the Phantoms, and he did see him briefly with the Flyers’ “Black Aces” during last year’s postseason. He also saw him at this year’s training camp, but said the player they call “Big Z” is still an unknown to him.

“He wasn’t ready at that time [in camp],” Vigneault said before the game, “and I don’t know if he’s ready [now]. We’re going to get an opportunity to see what he can do. He’s got potential. I feel he’s got upside. Is he going to be able to put it all together? We’re going to find out. We’re going to get a good look against a team that has a lot of speed and is a good, hard forechecking team. We’ll see how he does.”

Zamula was paired with Travis Sanheim, 25, who downplayed the fact that he moved from the left to right side. Sanheim also said the language barrier wasn’t an issue because Zamula’s English has shown great improvement over the years.

Sanheim said he and Zamula have a bond because they both have played with the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League, though at different times.

“That’s definitely a good starter in most conversations,’ Sanheim said. “I’ve had many chats with him since he day he got here, and so I’ve gotten to know him quite well. I looked forward to playing with him.”

Zamula went undrafted, and he signed with the Flyers as a free agent in 2018.

“He seems like a guy who grew and developed in the later stages,” Sanheim said. “That was his route. Good for him.”

Sanheim said he expected Zamula to feel like he did in his first game: excited and nervous.

“I’m just going to help him out as much as I can,” he said.

Vigneault on the Devils: “They’re a young team, but they’ve got a lot of skill and speed.” … Vigneault said he was generally pleased with Sanheim’s play but noted he “hasn’t gotten the offensive numbers that a guy with his skill set should be able to get, but our whole back end hasn’t had the same numbers we had last year. I’m not quite sure why. I’ll reflect on that once the season is over.” Sanheim entered Tuesday with two goals, 12 points and a minus-16 rating in 47 games. A year ago, he had eight goals, 25 points and a plus-4 rating in 69 games. ... The Flyers play in New Jersey again Thursday.