York and Zamula, the Flyers' top defenseman prospects, were roommates during the camp, which ran Aug. 28 to Sept. 1.
"He's a great guy off the ice, a funny guy," York said of Zamula. "Trying to learn from him just like he's trying to learn from me, so it's a good culture. We're trying to build a pretty good relationship here."
York (5-foot-11, 175 pounds), the No. 14 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, is a left-handed shot who made his NHL debut May 7. The 20-year-old did not score a point but averaged 19:47 of ice time in three games with the Flyers.
Zamula (6-3, 177), a left-handed shot, signed an entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent Sept. 20, 2018 and he made NHL debut April 27. In two games with the Flyers, the 21-year-old did not score a point but averaged 17:04 of ice time.
Mike O'Connell, Philadelphia's senior adviser to the general manager/player development, said having the two top prospects start to forge a relationship away from the rink only can be a good thing.
"If we can build the chemistry off ice as well as on the ice for these guys ... and if that chemistry off-ice relates to really good chemistry on-ice or vice versa, I'm all for it," he said. "Both these players are important to us and we have to make sure we do everything we can to make these the best players that we can for the Flyers."
York and Zamula each said their cameo appearances in the NHL give them a better understanding of what it takes to become full-time players in the League.
"The thing that I noticed the most was probably just the speed and the skill and the size of the guys was just a little bit next level and a lot different than what I was used to," York said. "But I felt like I adapted pretty quickly and got used to it as time went on. Definitely at the start it was rather eye-opening to see."
To further ease his transition, York worked on the finer details of his defensive play and tried to get stronger during the offseason. He said it's been a process of trying to add muscle without adding weight.
"I don't want to be 200 pounds right now," he said. "I'm a smaller guy. My game is built off of speed and agility, so if I want those two components, I can't be a certain big weight. I'm not trying to put on tons of weight, it's more of just becoming strong and allowing my skill attributes to really kind of fluctuate on the ice."
Zamula said he also focused on getting stronger during the offseason, as well as working on his speed and defensive details.
He said motivation from fellow Russia-born Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov helped.
"We kept connected the whole summer," Zamula said through an interpreter. "We had a lot of conversations, text messages and he was always was asking how are you training. I can't wait to see him when he gets to Philadelphia."
Flyers player development coach Chris Stewart said he noticed the work Zamula put in.
"Every time you see 'Big Z,' he looks like he's taking some strides in his development and getting more acclimated to the North American style of game and the living conditions over here," Stewart said. "He's definitely looked more comfortable and he's got a great personality off the ice and he's a fun guy to be around."
York and Zamula will be competing with Keith Yandle and Samuel Morin for NHL roster spots behind the Flyers' projected top five defensemen: Provorov, Ryan Ellis, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen and Justin Braun.
They also could start the season as the top defense pair with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.
Either way the Flyers said they are happy with the steps York and Zamula have taken on and off the ice.
"They're both high IQ players," O'Connell said. "They both see the ice very well. Different skill sets of course. ... Both are going to be, I think, extremely effective players, not only in the NHL but on a winning team."
