Moving in with Zegras has only fueled Barkey’s arrival to Flyers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Denver Barkey realized his dream when he made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden, one of the biggest stages in sports.

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Six games later, he added to the dream with his first goal in a win over Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

But as Barkey extended his time with the Flyers, the dream had to sink in even more when Trevor Zegras approached him with a suggestion.

“He came over a few weeks ago after morning skate to ask me if I wanted to live with him,” Barkey said earlier this month. “I couldn’t really turn that possibility down. I was quick to say yes and then we started to plan when I’d move in.”

From teammates to roommates.

“Just living with Trevor has made me a lot more comfortable with him, all the guys, it has been great,” the 20-year-old said. “Not being in a hotel by yourself, it’s a lot better. I think being in a house with him now for a few weeks, we’ve gotten a lot closer.”

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Ever since being called up to the Flyers for his first game five days before Christmas, Barkey has stuck with the big club. The 5-foot-9 winger has two goals, seven assists and three multi-point efforts in 22 games.

In his first season at the pro level, there was no guarantee Barkey would jump to the Flyers and potentially stay for the stretch run.

“Honestly, at the beginning of the year, if someone told me that, no, I probably wouldn’t have believed them,” the 2023 third-round pick said. “Obviously it’s my goal to be here, it has been my dream since I was a kid, but for it to happen this quick and to be up for this long, it has been special.”

Despite being undersized, Barkey has impressed the Flyers with his smarts and competitiveness. He doesn’t shy away from puck battles and hasn’t been scared to create offense, something he has picked up from Zegras.

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“Just how he carries himself and the confidence he has with the puck, too,” Barkey said. “To hold onto the puck and make plays, I think that’s something I’ve tried to add into my game a bit. Just have that confidence to make plays and want to be the guy to make the plays. I think that kind of aspect of his game has really stood out to me.”

Rick Tocchet was happy to see Zegras’ leadership with Barkey. The Flyers’ head coach mentioned how Wayne Gretzky took in Jamie Storr with the Kings and that Mario Lemieux did the same for Sidney Crosby with the Penguins.

“Trevor, it’s a big step,” Tocchet said earlier this month. “Trevor came up to me about three weeks ago, ‘Hey, I want Barks to live with me.’ I’m like, ‘That’s great.’ Now he has a kitchen. I don’t know if Trevor is cooking or whatever.”

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Barkey has helped with cleaning the dishes.

“Trying to do my chores here and there,” he said with a smile.

How has Zegras been as a roommate?

“He’s funny, he’s upbeat, has always got jokes, he’s always laughing,” Barkey said of the 24-year-old. “He’s awesome. Never has a bad day.”

And Barkey won’t take any days for granted.

“I’ve been trying to keep that mindset throughout this whole thing, it’s still really new to me,” he said. “Trying to be prepared and at my best every game is still my focus, but I think making sure you take care of the defensive side of the puck, making sure you try to make all the right plays. Just being in the right spots, executing the systems and being ready to go every game.”