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(Baby) Flames vs. (Baby) Canucks Preview: Finishing strong

The Flames prospects have one last chance to finish the 2014 Young Stars Classic with a winning record.

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The Flames prospects are 1-1 in the Penticton tournament. First, they defeated the Winnipeg Jets prospects 6-4 in a goal-filled contest. Then, they fell just short of the Edmonton Oilers prospects 4-3 in a penalty-filled battle. Now, they have just one last shot at leaving with a winning record, and it all comes against the tournament-hosting Vancouver Canucks prospects.

Here's the projected lineup:

Left Wing Center Right Wing
Garnet Hathaway Turner Elson Hunter Smith
Michael Ferland Markus Granlund Josh Jooris
Morgan Klimchuk Bill Arnold Bryce Van Brabant
Johnny Gaudreau Sam Bennett Austin Carroll
Left Defense Right Defense
Curtis Gedig John Ramage
Keegan Kanzig Brett Kulak
Patrick Sieloff Ryan Culkin
Goalies
Mason McDonald
Joni Ortio

Some thoughts:

  • Man, the Flames really must be going for this one. That dominating Ferland – Granlund – Jooris line is back.
  • Some of the Flames’ best prospects have dressed for every game in this tournament, including the top dogs of Gaudreau and Bennett, who get to remain together. Interestingly enough, Carroll has been put on Bennett’s wing for all three games. Smith was drafted in hopes he would turn into a Milan Lucic type – why not try him out on the top line?
  • Brendan Bell and Carl Neill are the only camp invitees who weren’t dressed for a single game. Unless Mancina gets to play a bit tonight, he didn’t get a chance to show off in a game situation, either. Scratch that, Mancina is out and Ortio is tonight’s backup.
  • They must like Gedig and Hathaway, though. They’re the only camp invites to get to play more than one game.
  • Ramage is the most experienced of the Flames prospects on defence. He had a really good game against the Jets, and is playing all three games. It’ll be interesting to see how his year goes, and if he’s able to take a step up and become a leader on the AHL team.
  • The Canucks are going for this one as well, with Hunter ShinkarukBo HorvatNicklas Jensen on a line together, so if Kanzig doesn’t run off on a goal to commit 20 penalties tonight, that would probably be a good thing.

Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game will once again be streamed on the Flames’ site, app, and YouTube Channel for easy watching.

by Ari Yanover