BCHL staff sat down with the Cents Talon Zakall for a Q+A about his stellar past season, and what the future holds for him.
BCHL: You had a strong year last year, but you really seemed to excel after the trade deadline when you were playing top-pair minutes. How were you able to take advantage of that opportunity?
Zakall: I’ve had two great coaches here in Merritt so far. I got a lot of opportunity last year. With our team struggling a little bit, we had to get rid of some of our veteran guys, so it gave me an opportunity to get a little more ice time and I benefitted from it. It was definitely different. My first year, I didn’t play a whole lot. I only got a few minutes a night. As the year went on, I felt more comfortable and I was slowly building towards that role. When I was told that was going to be my role after the deadline, I said okay and took it and ran with it. I did the best I could.
BCHL: Last season you were named the BCHL High School Player of the Month for November. Why is education so important to you?
Zakall: In the BCHL, education is really important. They put schooling first. All of our goals as BCHL players is to go on to play Division I hockey. If hockey doesn’t end up working out for you, you always have a career to fall back on. It’s just an awesome opportunity to continue to excel as a hockey player, get a couple more years at a high level playing Division I hockey and you get a great education on top of that.
BCHL: You haven’t committed to an NCAA school yet, but I imagine that is a goal for you this coming year. With your emphasis on education, will you be looking at schools that are more known for that side of things?
Zakall: I haven’t really decided. I’m not really sure what I want to do career-wise. I’m just going to get a feel for whatever program it is that I choose to go to and go from there. If it’s a hockey school, then it’s a hockey school. I love hockey. It’s why I’m here today. If it’s a school that excels in education, then that’s great as well.
