Flames Prospect Camp open thread

i was surprised not to see jimmy spratt on the list this year… i’m not sure if he’s into his 2nd pro deal, or if he’s been cut loose (i presume the former)…. any idea ? i have to say the prospects list looks quite exciting between backlund, nemisz and wahl up front and aulie, negrin, pelech, brodie, erixon (presumeably).

not that any of them will ever get a chance to play for the big club.

to be realllllly underwhelmed by Spencer Bennett.

Poor skater, Not as physical as he should be, not a sniper (20 bingos in Jr. A in a full season is not outstanding).

I was shocked he was nabbed with a 4th rounder… he might have been around in the 6th or 7th.

(BCHL nerd talk)

Your input is always appreciated so let’s never stifle the nerd talk.

The news on Bennett doesn’t surprise me. When I ran that prospect ranking awhile ago, his NHLE according to Desjardins method was a paltry 5.34 points.

I’m going definitely have to check this out I’m looking forward to Tim Erixon and Keith Aullie

personally, i’m probably most excited about aulie as well.

This is the first time in a long while that I have been very excited about many of the Flames prospects…especially on defense with the likes of Aulie, Negrin and Pelech (however that may be ruined by the fact that we have such capable defense locked into long term, high cost contracts now, so who knows if we will ever see them for the Flames.)

Previously, I have counted on the Flames to build solely through trading (ala Regher, Kipper, Iggy, Langkow etc. Trade a star for a future star) which has always left me disappointed in the drafting history – with exception of Phaneuf, Stillman, Kidd and Reichel or Vernon, Nieuwendyk, Roberts and Fleury (but those last four were a bit before my time as prospects)

I also feel like we have drafted good talent only to give up on the project – I think Lombardi, Moen, Stoll, Kobasew, Saprikyn, Anderson, and maybe Morris (although some had great years in Calgary.

And from 91-2000 we had some dud first rounders – Dingman, Krahn, Fata, Tzaczuk, Sundblad and Matteson.

Well, this is the time of year I get excited about development camps and prospects, because I’ll soon be doing my own scouting (of little tykes) and it seems to be such a truly Canadian summer activity for me.

My biggest point of interests are:

Aulie (I think he will be regarded as a late round steal in the future, I think he could be like Pardy.)

Backlund (here’s hoping he isn’t a Sundblad of Mattesson…I would love to see him make a leap in progress this year, or…..)

Irving (I think Irving is one of the most interesting stories, quietly, because the Flames depth in goal is frightening. Every year that Kipper gets older, I regard him as an elite goalie on a downward slide, but an elite…not just any goalie. More like Fuhr or Vanbiesbrouk than Theodore. AND the chances of a big injury always loom large. Then what? I assume a trade because McElhinney won’t cut it, but there is always a star keeper who slips in because of injury.

Does it run from 10am to Noon?

And that’s all open to the public?

I’m off to support some starving artist types for the rest of the night, but if anyone was at the Dome this week, I’m sure I speak for all out-of-towners when I say that we’d greatly appreciate an update. I’m sure Kent will post something if he’s been or goes, but anyone else should chime in as well. Thanks in advance.

According to James Mirtle’s Twitter…

Anyone planning to attend Saturday? Looks like a short day…I was thinking to go but wondering if it’s worth my while…

Well, I managed to see 3 sessions. My impressions are still limited but here they are nonetheless…

Forwards – guys I noticed:

Backlund – quick hands, fast, accurate shot, good skater. Ahead of almost everyone, naturally.

Wahl – smooth and fluid, rarely messed up a drill and frequently buried his shots.

Marvin – Stood out a couple of times in terms of overall ability. Not sure if this is because he’s good or just older than most of the guys there.

Forwards I didn’t really notice:

Greg Nemisz – Looks smaller in real life than I anticipated. Sometimes he looked capable, others he floundered. Quick hands in tight around the goal is the best thing I can say about him.

Bjorklund – Needs some work in the skating department. Obviously younger than most of the crowd.

Hugo Carpentier – Can’t recall seeing him at all.

Spencer Bennett – Meh.

Johm Armstrong – Good skater, but can’t seem to shoot. May have to do with his recent shoulder surgery.

Watt and Grantham – not really in the same league as everyone else, especially Watt. I doubt he even makes the Heat this year.

Defensemen I noticed:

Matt Pelech – looks well ahead of the crowd. He’s much older though, that’s to be expected. Surprisingly agile for a big man and has a heavy shot.

TJ Brodie – One of those guys I kept noticing because I had to keep look at the roster sheet: “That was nice…who was that…oh, yeah…Brodie”. Good skating and puck handling.

John Negrin – Almost looks awkward until the puck is on his stick. Fluid and poised.

Erixon – One of the youngest guys there, but the tools were obvious. No apparent deficiencies.

Guys I didn’t really notice:

Seabrook – much smaller than everyone else. Stood out at times for both good and bad reasons. Seems to be agile and a good skater. Not a great shot from the point from what I saw though.

Brad Cole – Is he considered a prospect?

Aulie – Big and kind of clumsy. Probably where Pelech was a couple of years ago.

Baldwin – Can’t really recall anything about Baldwin.

Goalies:

Tough to rank goalies in drills like these (frequently 1 or 2 on 0’s). Ortio was obviously a step behind Keetley and Irving, but that’s no surprise.

watt’ll make the heat. maybe only for a year but i’m pretty sure daz loves him…

Let’s make some lines out of that group for fun:

Greentree – Backlund – Jaffray
Chucko – Lundmark – Van Der Gulik
Murray – Armstrong – Armstrong
Cunning – Carpentier – Grantham

Flames have nice prospect depth at the back-end..especially if you add in guys like Brodie and Erixon.