If one thing's for certain Red Deer Rebels prospect Zach Schwartz is proud of his father Dustin and vice versa.
Dustin, who's now the goaltending coach for the Edmonton Oilers, spent three seasons in net for the Rebels from 1997 to 1999.
Now, his son Zach, who was drafted by Red Deer 170th overall in the eighth round of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, is looking to pave his way into the organization.
On Saturday he joined the rest of the Rebels' prospects in the first of multiple rookie scrimmages throughout training camp at the Peavey Mart Centrium. He said it was surreal to be picked by the Rebels in the draft.
"I was actually at track and field so I got a call from [former Rebels associate GM Shaun Sutter] at the time and I was ecstatic. It was so cool and you know my dad played here so everything kind of came full circle. I was just over the moon. It was awesome," he said.
"[My dad] tells me stories all the time and being here brings back memories for him so it's awesome. It's so cool to be where he was and see the history behind everything as well."
Dustin told The Advocate on Saturday that he was excited for his son to get this opportunity in his old stomping grounds.
"He's earned that on his own and as a dad you kind of just sit back and enjoy the steps along the way and the process that it's taken to get to this point. There's lots of work to be done but this is definitely a proud moment," said the former Stettler resident.
"Red Deer's such a great organization so when you start looking at the opportunities that potentially lie in his future you hope that he's a part of a good organization... This is a good place. They've got good staff and all the resources needed to develop as a player and a person."
At just 15 years old, the forward won't be able to suit up for the Rebels until at least next year but he's looking forward to putting in the work and hopefully earning a spot on the team in the future.
For now, he plans to soak in the experience of his first WHL training camp.
"It's been a stellar experience and it's been good to meet all the new prospects... It's been nice to build those relationships and kind of get the lay of the land. It's an awesome facility and the first game today was awesome. It was high pace and high intensity," Schwartz added.
The young man grew up in Edmonton and explained that he's always been a hockey player, despite a few seasons on the baseball field in the summer. Beginning at the atom level, he played with the same group of teammates for five years led by his coach and former Edmonton Oiler, Fernando Pisani. However, he never did have an interest in playing goalie like his father, Schwartz said his brother gave the position a shot.
For the last two years, he's played for the OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team where he's scored 15 goals and 43 assists for 58 points in 54 games. He also played four games with the U17 squad.
"They treat everybody so well there. We didn't have the success that we wanted to but I built lots of relationships and had some fun. It was a great two years," he said.
Listed as five feet nine inches tall and approximately 146 pounds he described himself as a hard-nosed player who likes to get rough in the corners. He also doesn't shy away from grinding his way to the front of the net and scoring a few goals.
Since 2015, Schwartz has had the unique opportunity most young hockey players could only dream of. His father was hired by the organization as their goaltending coach which has allowed Zach to meet, interact, and learn from some of the best players in the game.
This includes Oilers forward Zach Hyman who he described as a major mentor to him and Dylan Holloway who just recently signed with the St. Louis Blues. He also got to witness the Oilers' incredible run to the Stanley Cup Finals this past spring.
"I was so proud of my dad and he's been there for a while now so it's been years of ups and downs but it was awesome for our family and the organization to be around it."
