2014-15 report cards: Micheal Ferland's season

Micheal Ferland started the season in Adirondack, playing for the baby Flames until he was called up due to injuries in October. He was relatively unknown - dare I say, irrelevant? - through his first stint in the NHL, recording one assist and two PIM through 10 games. Called up again in February, Ferland stuck.

It wasn't until the first round of playoffs that Ferland made his name in the NHL. Not only did he match his regular season point total (five), he racked up more PIMs. While Calgary fell in love - enough to threaten Mayor Nenshi's position - Vancouver became irritated with the kid who hit everything that touched the puck.

He may have taken a different road to get to where he is, but along the way he has grown, and he and his devoted mother picked up a few fans along the way. Count us in.

arii (B):

Micheal Ferland has been through a lot to make the NHL, but he finally did it this season… and things promptly went off the rails when he was concussed before his first game was even over. That said, he started to take on more responsibility as the season ended, and truly broke out in the playoffs when he drove the Vancouver Canucks absolutely mad.

Ferland is a physical, hard-hitting, smart player with pest-like tendencies, and his junior and minor league careers suggest he may yet have some latent scoring talent. While he probably won’t be a top six forward either, Ferland has a better chance at it than Lance Bouma. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him officially in the NHL full time to start the 2015-16 season. Ferland can definitely play, and he fills a coveted role: huge pest who just might be able to pot some goals.

Mike FAIL (C+):

Micheal Ferland is going to make Lance Bouma expendable. Well, it’s probable. He possesses all the same skills and attributes but has significantly higher offensive upside than Bouma. His role in the first round was nothing short of entertaining and provided much needed fire to an already juicy storyline. His regular season was up and down like many, but he found ways to create some relative success. Next season will be incredibly interesting for the young man who stole our hearts with his touching personal story.

HockeyGoalieEh (C+):

Ferland did pretty dang great with his limited showing. He was a great possession player for a third or fourth liner, and has some pretty nice potential. For those frothing at the mouth for extra grit, he certainly added that, but he did so intelligently in a way that forced turnovers and positive possession. He certainly brings plenty of excitement and puts the pressure on the Flames to find him a spot in the lineup. There are certainly enough players worse than him that should make it relatively easy to do so.

saltysyd (B):

Hard not to like him for his story alone, Ferland was a surprising impact player for the Flames in the first round of the playoffs. He may have looked like a freight train out there, hitting anything that touched the puck, but he knew how to be smart about it. That is, when he was keeping his emotions in check - but what do you expect from a young call-up in his first playoffs against the much-hated Vancouver Bieksas. He appears to be a typical ‘grit’ player, there to rattle the other team. Throw in his scoring touch, and we’ve got a great future player on our hands. Very relevant.

ctibs (B):

Ferland’s real "welcome to the NHL" moment was in the playoffs versus Vancouver, but he was always a good player in hiding. With Stajan and someone not-Bollig, he is part of a very effective third/fourth line. Considering his entire backstory and road to the NHL, Ferland’s rise from irrelevant to impact player is astounding, and I think I speak for all Flames fans when I say that he will be one of the more exciting players on the roster next year.

LiamPMcCausland (B):

In the first round, you saw the player Micheal Ferland can be, and has been trying to be for the last five months. If he can bring that form into the new season, he’s going to be a handful, and I’m glad he’s going to be our handful.

cofstats (B):

Micheal Ferland was mostly invisible during the regular season, putting up a modest five points in 26 games. This isn’t to say that he was bad - in fact he was an effective shutdown player, with relatively decent possession numbers and limiting the opponents to just 1.12 goals against per 60 minutes. But the playoffs are where Ferland really came to shine. In the first round he was an absolute wrecking ball, repeatedly smashing his 215-pound frame into Vancouver’s defensemen. This clearly had an effect on Vancouver’s play, as they started to turn the puck over deep in their zone as Ferland came barreling towards them. Ferland was also getting his name on the scoresheet; he had the same number of points as he did in the season - five - but in only nine playoff games. Micheal Ferland has a lot of promise as a role player for the Calgary Flames.

Seems like we're all on the same wavelength when it comes to this fiesty winger with a budding scoring touch. Still young and developing, he shows promise and definitely made a case for sticking around the big club next season. For now, he earns a solid B- average from M&G.

It'll be an interesting summer when it comes to contracts for Brad Treliving. Micheal Ferland will be one of many RFAs that Flames management will be looking into. With a limited showing, Ferland proved he's got those intangibles (i.e. heart) and he's got grit. He also showed growth, both personal and performance-wise. He's definitely worth another look.