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Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XV: 460-456

In Chapter 15 of our offseason-long countdown, we take a peek at the careers' of Dany Sabourin, Jeff Brubaker, Martin Sonnenberg, Bryce Van Brabant, and Jim Korn.

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460. Dany Sabourin

Sabourin is a 6’4″, 200 lb. goaltender from Val-D’or, Quebec. Born on September 20th, 1980, he went 15-15-2 with a 4.03 GAA for the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Faucons in 1997-98. The Flames selected him in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft with the 108th overall pick.

Sabourin played in two more seasons for Sherbrooke, now known as the Castors, going 33-35-7 with an .886 save percentage. In 2000-01, he played with the Flames ECHL affiliate, the Johnstown Chiefs, going 4-9-1. The following season would see him go 14-10-1 for the Chiefs.

In 2002-03, Sabourin went 15-17-4 for the AHL’s Saint John Flames. He went 5-7-2 for the Lowell Lock Monsters the next season, earning a callup to Calgary for four games starting at the end of October. He made 24-of-28 saves in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars in his debut, then later made 32 saves on 38 shots in a start and two relief appearances.

Sabourin made future NHL appearances with the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-18-3, .899, 2.88) and with the Vancouver Canucks (2-4-1, .906, 2.63). He is currently signed with the Grazz 99ers in Austria.

All-Time Statline: Four games, 0-3-0, 10 goals allowed, 56 saves, 66 shots, .848 save percentage, 3.57 GAA, -0.10 point shares.

459. Jeff Brubaker

Brubaker was born on February 24th, 1958 in Hagerstown, Maryland. The 6’2″, 210 lb. left winger played for the Peterborough Petes when selected in the sixth round of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins with the 102nd overall pick. He scored 20 goals and 29 assists in 96 games with the Petes over two seasons.

1978-79 would see Brubaker spend most of his season with the AHL's Rochester Americans (59 games, four goals, 10 assists), also making an appearance in the soon-to-be-doomed WHA with the New England Whalers (12 games, 19 PiM). The following season was spent mostly with the Springfield Indians (50 games, 12 goals, 13 assists) as the Whalers moved to the NHL and started going by their base-city in Hartford. He earned an assist over three games with the Whalers.

In 1980-81, Brubaker split the season pretty evenly between the Binghampton Whalers (33 games, 18 goals, 11 assists) and Hartford (43 games, five goals, eight assists). The Montreal Canadiens claimed him in the waiver draft before the start of the 1981-82 campaign. He played in 138 games over the next two seasons with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs (59 goals, 39 assists), also making a short appearance with the Habs (three games, one assist).

The Flames picked Brubaker up in the waiver draft which preceded the 1983-84 season. The CHL's Colorado Flames would have him for 57 games that season (16 goals, 19 assists). He also earned 19 penalty minutes in four Calgary appearances, with a minus-1 rating.

Brubaker later had NHL appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs (89 games, eight goals, four assists, 276 penalty minutes), the Edmonton Oilers (four games, one goal, 12 penalty minutes), the New York Rangers (31 games, two goals, 78 penalty minutes), and the Detroit Red Wings (one game).

All-Time Statline: Four games, zero goals, zero assists, minus-1 rating, 19 penalty minutes, -0.10 point shares.

458. Martin Sonnenberg

Sonnenberg was a 6', 197 lb. left winger from Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Born on January 23rd, 1978, he had just completed his third season with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades when the Pittsburgh Penguins signed him as a free agent prior to the 1998-99 season. He scored 86 goals with 85 assist in his 202 games with the Blades.

Sonnenberg started out the 1998-99 season with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch (36 games, 15 goals, nine assists). He spent the second half of the season with the Penguins, making a goal and an assist with 19 penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 44 contests.

Starting in 1999-00, Sonnenberg spent most of the next three seasons with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pens (213 games, 54 goals, 81 assists, 325 penalty minutes). The Flames signed him as a free agent during the 2002 offseason.

Sonnenberg had 11 goals and 10 assists in 54 games with the Saint John Flames in 2002-03. He would nearly double those figures in less time with the Lowell Lock Monsters the following season, scoring 20 goals with 22 assists in 48 games. He joined the Flames on two occasions through the season, totaling five games and a minus-2 rating. He took seven shots on goal and finished his time with a minus-2 rating. He signed on with the Phoenix Coyotes after the conclusion of the season.

After two more seasons in the AHL, Sonnenberg went on to play in Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden. He most recently appeared with Timra IK of the Swedish league in 2009-10, scoring 22 goals and 20 assists in 42 contests.

All-Time Statline: Five games, zero goals, zero assists, minus-2 rating, two penalty minutes, -0.10 point shares.

457. Bryce Van Brabant

Brabant is a 6'2", 205 lb. center from Morinville, Alberta. Born on November 12th, 1991, he completed three collegiate seasons with the University of Quinnipiac before signing a free agent contract with the Flames on March 29th, 2014.

Van Brabant did not make any appearances at the ECHL or AHL levels, instead joining the Flames directly. He played in six of Calgary's last seven games of the season, averaging just over nine minutes per game and clocking a minus-1 rating, two penalty minutes, and four shots on goal. He had 17 hits and four blocked shots in his short Flames tryout. He's signed to a two-way, entry-level contract through next season.

All-Time Statline: Six games, zero goals, zero assists, minus-1 rating, two penalty minutes, -0.10 point shares.

456. Jim Korn

Korn was a 6'3", 210 lb. defenseman from Hopkins, Minnesota. Born on July 28th, 1956, he totaled 18 goals and 42 assists in 89 collegiate contests with Providence College. He was chosen in both 1977 professional drafts after his freshman season, in the sixth round of the WHA Draft by the New England Whalers, 52nd overall, and in the fifth round of the NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, 73rd overall.

Korn made 185 appearances for the Red Wings starting in 1979-80 (11 goals, 35 assists, minus-28 rating, 458 penalty minutes), later playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs (197 games, 26 goals, 43 assists), the Buffalo Sabres (52 games, four goals, 10 assists, 158 penalty minutes), and the New Jersey Devils (154 games, 25 goals, 32 assists, 451 penalty minutes). New Jersey traded him to the Flames for a fifth round choice on March 6th, 1990.

Korn appeared in nine regular season games for Calgary to close out the 1989-90 campaign, tabbing two assists and 26 PiM. He scored a goal in four playoff games for the Flames, in an 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Kings on April 6th. The Flames eventually lost the series in six games.

All-Time Statline: Nine games, zero goals, two assists, even rating, 26 penalty minutes, -0.10 point shares.

How far up the list will Van Brabant go before he's done, and who's up in tomorrow's chapter? Keep it dialed in at Matchsticks and Gasoline for all of your Flames news.

by Kevin Kraczkowski