Zach Whitecloud is still getting to know his new teammates, still adjusting to his new surroundings, still settling in at his new home rink.
A blast from the past is trying to smooth the transition.
The Calgary Flames’ trade acquisition has moved in with fellow blue-liner Brayden Pachal, his roommate back when both were skating in the minors.
They lived together for a full season when Pachal was a rookie pro and Whitecloud was a sophomore with the Vegas Golden Knights’ farm team.
“It’s funny — we were doing a media thing with the team at our house and they were asking us, ‘What has really changed?’ ” Whitecloud said. “And it doesn’t really feel like anything has changed, you know?
“Obviously, I’m 29 and he’s 27 now, so life has gone a little bit further for both of us. But it honestly feels like we’re back being 19 or 20 and figuring out what to do for dinner, watching sports or movies and then getting up and doing it all over again.”
Nothing has changed, you say?
Pachal, who describes Whitecloud as “a genuinely unbelievable guy” and “a joy to be around,” protests politely.
“I think he’s a little bit cleaner than he used to be,” Pachal said with a grin, reminiscing about their previous stint as housemates with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. “But he doesn’t have as much space this time around. He has the spare bedroom downstairs, but I think it’s definitely better than the hotel still.”
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In that case, Pachal can speak from experience.
It was two years ago Wednesday that he was claimed off the waiver wire from the Knights, hustling to pack up his belongings and continue his career in Calgary.
Whitecloud made a similar move in mid-January, arriving at the Saddledome as a primary return piece in the Rasmus Andersson trade.
His addition means that Pachal remains a spare part, but the seventh/eighth defenceman has been determined to stay positive and was quick to offer up that spare room.
“When I came here, I lived in the hotel for a month, so I realize how hard that is,” said Pachal, who has suited up for just seven games — and watched 21 others as a healthy scratch — since the start of December. “If you’re in the hotel, you kind of feel like even though you’re home, you’re playing on the road still. So I just wanted to make him feel more comfortable, get adjusted to the routine and obviously catch up.
“It brings us back to our younger days, I guess. We haven’t seen each other in a few years, so it’s been a nice visit.”
Calgary Flames defenceman Brayden Pachal was photographed in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
Whitecloud has, so far, been a nice fit in his new hockey home.
He has averaged 22:56 of ice time in seven appearances with the Flames, the second-highest workload on the team since the swap.
Only Kevin Bahl, his partner on Calgary’s shutdown tandem, has been logging more minutes.
In Wednesday’s instalment of the Battle of Alberta, the Flames’ final date before the Olympic break, those two will be tasked with keeping tabs on league scoring leader Connor McDavid.
After that, with the NHL on pause until Feb. 25, Whitecloud will have a bit of time to catch his breath.
Perhaps to check the real estate listings for a place of his own, although he might be hesitant to commit.
Before the right-shot rearguard had even touched down at YYC, some wondered if he was a candidate to be flipped for more future assets.
Those sorts of rumours tend to swirl around any useful veteran on a rebuilding squad, although Whitecloud sounds like a guy who’d be happy to stick around for a while.
New Calgary Flames defenceman Zach Whitecloud takes part in warm-ups before NHL action against the New Jersey Devils at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
He was a beloved teammate in Vegas — a bunch of buddies showed up at his house after they learned of the trade — and while he seems to be on his way to that same status in Calgary, he cautioned that you can’t just barge into a new locker-room.
“You don’t want to step on any toes, right?” Whitecloud said. “My personality is I like to be involved. I like to be loud. I like to make sure everyone is pushing in the right direction, make sure no one gets left behind. But at the same time, you’ve gotta have a read for the room and understand who does what and when to say things, when not to, all those little things.
“But I think first and foremost, you just come in and let those guys know that you’re part of the family and you’re pulling on the rope in the same direction. I think that’s all they want to know. When a new guy comes in, you get a read on a person right as soon as you meet them, right? Their first day in there.
“The main thing I wanted them to know is I’m pulling the same direction. I’m not on my own page or anything like that.”
It’s helped, of course, to have a blast from the past to make him feel right at home.
“Being able to move in with (Pachal) has definitely aided in it being a lot smoother than it could have been,” Whitecloud said. “The hotel can, especially when you’re in a new place with new people, get a little lonely. So that’s definitely made it a lot easier, for sure.”