'Growing My Game'

Year 1 in the NHL was special for Connor Zary.

He’s aiming to make Year 2 even better.

The forward is experiencing training camp for the first time as an NHL regular this season, after a rookie campaign that saw the Saskatoon product collect 34 points - 14 of them goals - from his 63-game introduction to the league.

This year, Zary begins the campaign with a real sense of what to expect, as well as what’s expected of him.

“Playing that first season, it’s just a lot; you know what it takes to play, day in, day out,” he said following a brisk on-ice session. “Just knowing what it takes, bringing that to this year knowing that you have to elevate and not just show up and do it, (but) do it, and do it well, execute well and be a good player, night in, night out.”

So far this week, Zary has skated alongside veterans Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund, but the 22-year-old (who turns 23 this coming Wednesday), there’s also a sense of adaptability.

He found a home with the Flames last season with fellow first-year forward Martin Pospisil and centreman Nazem Kadri, a trio that gives Calgary bench boss Ryan Huska a tried-and-true option as the 2024-25 season comes to life.

When it comes to numbers, Zary’s a competitor.

He wants to be better than a season ago, even if he’s keeping his actual goals close to his chest.

“Obviously, I have personal goals in mind that I keep to myself, and want to execute on, but overall it’s about growing my game, being a good player, being a guy that can be leaned on,” he said. “That’s going to be huge for me this year, just playing with that free-flowing mentality and not trying to get too high, too low, but obviously, you want to have goals to work towards.”

This week at camp, Zary admits a lot of the work being put in is focused on getting up to speed; timing, playing with pace, as well as getting into a rhythm with his new linemates.

Things move quickly at this time of year, though.

Calgary will open its preseason schedule Sunday night in Seattle, and the coming onslaught of games not only helps with the general acceleration of pace, but also in seeing live competition for the first time in five months.

“Sometimes, you go as hard as you can against your teammates, but it’s not always the same,” said Zary. "It’s nice to get that competition going early, and right away in camp, I think that’s always exciting for us.

“It’ll be really good to start the preseason up, get some games early under our belt, get that rust out and get that game shape back.”