Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter LXVII: 200-197

200. Marcus Nilson

Nilson was a 6'2", 196 lb. left winger from Balsta, Sweden. Born on March 1st, 1978, he was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers, with the 20th overall selection.

Prior to his NHL debut, Nilson played for parts of three seasons with Djurgardens IF Stockholm, scoring four goals and 10 assists with 51 penalty minutes in 90 games. In 1998-99, he joined the New Haven Beast for 69 games, scoring eight goals and 25 assists. He also got his first callup to the NHL, with eight games played for the Panthers (one goal, one assist). The following season would see more of the same, as he played 64 games with the Louisville Panthers (nine goals, 23 assists) and nine for Florida, dishing out two assists.

Most of the next four seasons would see Nilson stay with Florida (310 games, 47 goals, 75 assists). On March 8th, 2004, the Panthers traded him to Calgary for a second round pick (David Booth).

Nilson’s late season trade to Calgary allowed him to lead the NHL with 83 games played  in 2003-04. In just 14 games with the Flames, he scored five goals on 23 shots, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating in 16:43 minutes per game. His first four goals with the team happened within a three game stretch, where he lit the lamp twice in a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on March 11th and added another goal each in a 4-4 tie with the Nashville Predators on the 13th and a 3-0 win over the St. Louis Blues on the next night.

When the NHL’s 2004-05 season was cancelled, Nilson rejoined Djurgardens for 48 games, scoring 17 goals with 22 assists in 110 penalty minutes. The next season would see him find the back of the net six times on 83 shots with 11 assists in 14:50 per game. He led the Flames with a plus-13 rating, and also earned 32 minutes in the penalty box over 70 contests. On November 3rd, he scored an assist and the game winning goal in a 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored the only goal in Calgary’s next contest, a 1-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on November 5th.

In 2006-07, Nilson played 63 games for Calgary, playing for 13:07 per game. He scored five goals on 69 shots with 10 assists, a plus-7 rating and 27 penalty minutes. On October 7th, he scored the game winner with less than a minute left in the second period of a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. He scored a goal each in the last two games of the season, a 3-2 setback to the Oilers, and a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

2007-08 would see Nilson play 47 times for Calgary, skating for just under 10 minutes per game. He scored three goals on 47 shots with a pair of assists, a plus-2 rating, and four penalty minutes.

Starting in 2008-09, Nilson resumed his overseas professional career with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (36 games, five goals, three assists), later rejoining Djurgardens (143 games, 42 goals, 64 assists) before playing the last two seasons with HV71 Jonkoping (107 games, 23 goals, 28 assists).

All-Time Statline: 194 games, 19 goals, 23 assists, plus-25 rating, 77 penalty minutes, 3.01 point shares

199. Jamie Allison

Allison was a second round selection of the Flames in the NHL Entry Draft of 1993, going 44th overall. A Lindsay, Ontario native, the 6'1", 220 lb. defenseman was born on May 13th, 1975. He got his start with the Windsor Spitfires in 1991-92, scoring four goals and eight assists with 70 penalty minutes in 59 contests. He followed that with three more OHL seasons with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings (151 games, three goals, 49 assists, 252 PiM). He also scored seven goals with 22 assists in 54 postseason contests over his four seasons. He played one game with the Flames through the 1994-95 season, a 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on January 26th.

1995-96 would see Allison play the whole season with the Saint John Flames, where he earned 223 penalty minutes in 71 contests, with three goals and 16 helpers to his credit.  He spent most of the next season with Saint John as well, scoring three times with six assists and 139 penalty minutes in 46 games. He took eight shots on goal over 20 games with Calgary, earning zero points and 35 penalty minutes with a minus-4 rating.

In 1997-98, Allison earned five assists in 16 games with 49 penalty minutes for Saint John. For the first time in his career, he spent more of his season at the NHL level, lacing up 43 times for Calgary. He scored three times on 27 shots with eight assists, a team eighth most 104 penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating. He dished out two assists on November 23rd in a 3-3 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes. On March 1st, he scored the game winner as the Flames finished on top of the Ottawa Senators, 2-1.

The 1998-99 season would see Allison earn 23 penalty minutes in five AHL games with Saint John. The Flames traded him with Marty McInnis and Erik Andersson to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jeff Shantz and Steve Dubinsky on October 27th. He played most of three seasons with Chicago (142 games, three goals, seven assists, 217 PiM).

Calgary reacquired Allison from Chicago in the 2001 Waiver Draft just before the 2001-02 season. He averaged 7:44 per game over 37 appearances for the Flames, scoring zero goals on 14 shots with a pair of assists, 24 penalty minutes and a minus-3 rating. On December 4th, he played a season high 14 minutes and earned an assist in a 2-2 tie with the San Jose Sharks. Calgary traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 19th for Blake Sloan.

Allison later played with the Blue Jackets (55 games, zero goals, one assists, 127 PiM), the Nashville Predators (67 games, zero goals, four assists, 121 PiM), and the Florida Panthers (seven games, 11 PiM).

All-Time Statline: 101 games, three goals, 10 assists, minus-4 rating, 163 penalty minutes, 3.07 point shares.

198. Paul Byron

Byron, a 5'7", 153 lb. center from Ottawa, Ontario, was born on April 27th, 1989. The Buffalo Sabres selected him in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 179th off the board. Before turning pro, he played three QMJHL seasons with the Gatineau Olympiques (184 games, 91 goals, 120 assists).

Byron joined the Portland Pirates in the AHL for the 2009-10 season, and scored 14 times with 19 assists in 57 games for the team, also earning 59 penalty minutes. He increased his offensive output for them the following season, lighting the lamp 26 times with 27 helpers in 67 games. He also made his first NHL appearance with the Sabres, scoring a goal and an assist in eight games.

After the 2010-11 season, the Sabres traded Byron with Chris Butler for Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik and a draft pick (Jake McCabe). His first season as a Flame would see him play 39 games at the AHL level with the Abbotsford Heat, and score seven times with 14 assists and 40 penalty minutes. He was called up to join the Flames on three occasions over the season. In his first callup in November. On the 12th, in his second game with the club, he scored his first goal in a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche. He netted the game winner six days later as the Flames defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-2. His time with Calgary amounted to 22 games, and he scored three goals on 13 shots with a pair of assists, a plus-3 rating, and a single minor penalty in 10:14 per contest.

2012-13 would see Byron take a step back, playing all but four of his games back with the Heat. He earned one assist in 42 minutes for the Flames, with a minus-2 rating and two penalty minutes. For the Heat, he scored six goals with nine assists in 38 games.

As the 2013-14 season started, Byron was ensconced firmly in Abbotsford. He started out the season with five goals and 13 assists in 23 games. Calgary called him up at the end of November, and Byron responded with an assist in a Flames 2-1 win over the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. On December 12th, he earned assists on each of Calgary’s markers in a  2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Calgary’s next contest, he again figured into each of the Flames goals, scoring one with an assist in another 2-1 win, this time over the Sabres. On March 18th, he scored a shorthanded marker in a 3-1 victory over Buffalo. He would end up with seven goals on 46 shots in 47 games, with 14 assists, a team second best plus-6 rating and 27 penalty minutes while skating 14:27 per game. He’s currently a Flames restricted free agent.

All-Time Statline: 73 games, 10 goals, 17 assists, plus-7 rating, 31 penalty minutes, 3.13 point shares.

197. Petr Buzek

Buzek was born on April 25th, 1977 in Jihlava, Czech Republic. A 6'1", 202 lb. defenseman, he scored twice with five assists in 45 games for Dukla Jihlava in 1994-95, with a minus-46 rating. He soon after selected in the third round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, by the Dallas Stars, with the 63rd overall choice.

Most of Buzek’s first three professional seasons were spent in the IHL with the Michigan K-Wings (201 games, 19 goals, 35 assists, 174 PiM). He also played four games at the NHL level with Dallas. He later played with the Atlanta Thrashers (77 games, five goals, 14 assists), and the Chicago Wolves (four games, zero goals, one assist). On December 18th, 2001, Atlanta sent him with a draft choice (Adam Pardy) to the Flames for Jeff Cowan and Kurtis Foster.

Buzek played the second half of the 2001-02 season with Calgary. He scored a single goal on 34 shots over 32 games, with three assists. In 17:12 per game, he posted a plus-4 rating and 14 penalty minutes. On February 28th, he scored his first Flames goal in a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues.

2002-03 would see Buzek score three times on 48 shots with five assists with a minus-6 rating and 14 penalty minutes. On January 16th, he scored a goal with an assist as the Flames tied the Nashville Predators, 2-2.

All-Time Statline: 76 games, four goals, eight assists, minus-2 rating, 28 penalty minutes, 3.17 point shares.