Schwartz seeks to make mark in dad’s old stomping grounds
Zach Schwartz says it was “pretty surreal” to be drafted by the same Western Hockey Club his dad played for.
The Edmonton native was selected by the Rebels in round eight of this year’s WHL Prospects Draft after posting 30 points in 27 games for OHA Edmonton U15 Prep.
“I was actually at track and field (on draft day), so I got a call from Shaun (Sutter) at the time, and I was ecstatic,” the 15-year-old forward recalled Saturday after his first rookie scrimmage at Red Deer Rebels Training Camp.
“My dad played here, so everything kind of came full circle. I was just over the moon. It was awesome.”
Dustin Schwartz tended twine for the Rebels from 1997-99 and has been the Edmonton Oilers goaltending coach since 2015. He admitted he couldn’t have been happier that Zach was drafted by the Rebels.
“You just hope that he finds an organization that has the resources and people in place that are going to help him with his development. It’s about him and his progress and growth moving forward,” he noted.
“It’s close to home, but all those other boxes are checked off as well. With the development side of it, the growth and opportunity that’s provided with the organization, I think he’s in a good spot now.”
Zach says he’s always wanted a future in hockey, though he never had any desire to be a goalie like dad. He cites former Edmonton Oilers forward Fernando Pisani, his former coach, as a positive influence. Other mentors include current Oilers sniper Zach Hyman and Dylan Holloway, now with St. Louis.
“His path was similar to mine,” Zach said of Holloway. “He was a bit of a late bloomer, never put up a ton of points growing up, but he just kind of stuck to it, and he’s an awesome player now. So, he’s somebody that I took a lot from. But yeah, I’ve been fortunate enough to be around a lot of elite athletes growing up.”
He describes himself as a hard-nosed, physical player and says he’s working to stay on an even keel at his first WHL camp, based on some sage advice from dad.
“Try and take everything in and not, you know, get discouraged when mistakes are made or anything like that. But ultimately, just play your game, stick true to who you are and not veer from that. Play within your strengths, and at the end of the day, if you do that, you have success.”
Dustin says watching camp this weekend at the Peavey Mart Centrium has been a fun experience.
“It’s nice to be here again. I’ve seen so many familiar faces, even going through the school last night and running into some former teammates I played minor hockey with. I grew up in Stettler, so Red Deer is obviously a close place for our family, and it’s exciting to just be a dad and sit back and enjoy some hockey and not have to be overly involved and just let him do his thing.”
And your darn right Dustin has shared just a few stories with Zach from his days with the Rebels.
“So many good memories. I was fortunate enough to have some good coaches and some good teammates here. So yeah, lots of good things that I’ve shared with him, and hopefully he gets to experience those things on his own.”
Zach is slated to play for Edmonton Jr. Oilers Orange U18AAA this season.
