Zavgorodniy - the 198th overall selection this past June - burst onto the scene with an impressive showing in Rookie Camp, closing it with a tidy two-goal, one-assist outing in a 6-3 trouncing of the Edmonton Oilers prospects last week in Red Deer.
Logically, the 18-year-old is now heading back for a second year of junior following Thursday's reassignments, but his two weeks under the 'Dome accomplished a goal many are unable to in this unshakable evaluation setting.
"Stand out," Pascall said. "That's what we want to see from these young guys.
"Dmitry found a way to do that."
In that final rookie contest, the winger took a neutral-zone feed from Dillon Dube, sped around a flat-footed Oilers defender and cut hard to the net, freezing the goaltender and calmly slipping home a backhander.
It was just one of his many fine arts on display that night, later putting the Flames up by three with a wicked top-shelf snipe, and rounding things out with a powerplay assist to clinch victory.
Days later, he got his first taste of the NHL pre-season - "live bullets," according Stockton head coach Cail MacLean - and produced there, too, assisting on Matthew Phillips' opening goal in a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
He's the player that makes you go 'Ooooh.'
"The product of all that work he put in over the summer, we're seeing it now," Pascall said. "We tell our young players all the time at these camps: 'Whatever got you here, do that.' Be seen.
"He has two things that are highly coveted in the game today - skill and speed. He's given us both, and then some.
"He's an exciting player to watch."
In the crowded marketplace of NHL hopefuls, running with the crowd is a surefire way to get lost in the weeds.
Zavgorodniy, clearly, had other plans.
The 5-foot-9, 175-lb. winger is now back with Rimouski of the OHL where he'll look to build on a marvelous rookie campaign that saw him score 26 goals.
A seamless transition to the North American game, it seems.
"But," the Russian concedes, "there was a lot to learn and hockey was only part of it.
"Learning English was one of the toughest things I had to do. ... And I played in the Q, so everyone was speaking French.
"When I walked in the locker room for the first time, I couldn't understand anything.
"I was a little worried. How would I understand anything? Will anyone understand me? But my teammates and coaches really helped me with all that. I was taking English courses pretty much every day, and over the course of the season I was able to learn some French words, too."
Twice a week, two hours a day, he buried his head in the Rossetta Stone-style manuals that helped fortify his grasp on even the most basic of interaction.
It's just further evidence of the commitment this young player has to his craft, on and off the ice.
Zavgorodniy spent a good portion of the summer in Calgary, assiduously working with the Flames' director of player development, Ray Edwards. The two were in close communiqué throughout, establishing a strict summer training program and setting goals for the months ahead.
"He really took that to heart," Pascall said.
"I think it was really beneficial for him to be around other players in our organization, including some of our NHL guys.
"It just speaks to the passion he has for the game.
"This is a guy that has embraced everything about our team, our city, is fully engaged with our development plan, and is working tirelessly to improve and get noticed.
"Trust me, we notice."
