Bouma Assigned to Heat, Will Play at Saddledome Tonight

Rookie forward prospect Lance Bouma has been assigned to the Abbotsford Heat after sitting out as a healthy scratch in the past two games. Bouma played an average of 5:23 in five games with the Flames, finishing with three shots on goal and one assist. Five games and under thirty minutes of ice time is a small sample size, but I liked what I saw from Bouma. The Flames had the highest rate of blocked shots for when he was one the ice and he had a Corsi rate of 37.02/60, although he played against mostly soft competition. He drew 4.4 more penalties per sixty than he took (0), which is always an encouraging stat for a forward whose probably not going to be getting a whole ton of ice time in the near future. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come. 

Flames fans won't have to wait too long to see Bouma again, as he will suit up for the Heat tonight when they take on the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers' AHL affiliate, at the Saddledome as part of this weekend's Heritage Classic festivities (7PM MST). Bouma won't be the only familiar face for Flames fans tonight, however, as Ales Kotalik will also be in the lineup for Abbotsford. Kotalik has six assists and is +3 in seven games since joining the Heat, but has yet to score on 37 shots on goal. Hitmen alum Alex Plante will suit up for the Barons tonight as well as former NHLers Zack Stortini and Martin Gerber alongside topflight Oilers prospect Teemu Hartikainen. The game can be heard online here. 

(Numbers from behindthenet.ca)