Columbus, OH – The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Egor Zamula to a one-year, National Hockey League contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell.
The signing comes shortly after Zamula's contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins was terminated. He was placed on waivers by the team on Monday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
Zamula, 25, has recorded eight goals and 33 assists for 41 points and 48 penalty minutes (PIM) in 168 career NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers. This season, he has one assist, four PIM, a +4 plus/minus rating and averaged 14:02 time on ice in 13 games. He tallied a career high 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points with 32 PIM and was +3 in 66 games in 2022-23.
"Egor is a mobile defenseman with good size who sees the ice well and can move the puck very efficiently. We are excited to have him join our hockey club,” said Waddell.
Zamula's agent, Dan Milstein, also released a statement via Twitter, congratulating Egor on signing with the Blue Jackets. "Congratulations to Egor Zamula on signing a 1-year NHL contract with the #CBJ Blue Jackets! #WeAreGoldStar!".
Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, Zamula experienced a brief but eventful period with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He began the season with the Flyers, where he was a regular in the lineup for the first few weeks. However, his ice time diminished, and he was subsequently placed on waivers in early December. On New Year's Eve, the Flyers traded Zamula to the Penguins in exchange for Philip Tomasino. Shortly after the trade, Zamula was suspended by the Penguins for failing to report to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. This led to the Penguins' decision to terminate his contract.
The 6-3, 200-pound native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, was originally signed by the Flyers as a free agent on Sept. 20, 2018. He played three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2017-20, tallying 19 goals and 83 assists for 102 points with 79 PIM and a cumulative +25 plus/minus rating in 158 games with the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen. His best season was 2018-19 when he racked up a career-high 10 goals and 46 assists for 56 points and 27 PIM in 61 games with the Hitmen. Zamula helped Russia capture a silver medal at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships and was named one of the squad's Top Three Players at the tournament.
Zamula has split his first three professional seasons between Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL from 2020-23 and has collected 5 goals and 51 assists for 56 points and 38 PIM in 130 career AHL games, including 0-2-2 in three outings this season.
The Blue Jackets (18-16-7) are looking to bolster their defense with the addition of Zamula. He will wear sweater number 5.
