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You know what's exciting? Several things, of course - defying odds, making playoffs, getting Dougie Hamilton for nothing but lottery tickets somehow - but up there is, of course, the game of hockey. Rushes up the ice, hard hits, dekes and dangles and goals - what's not to love about all of that?
Well, it's back. Kind of. Sort of. Not really, yet, but we're close. The Calgary Flames' preseason is officially upon us tonight, as two squads filled with veterans and prospects alike will take on their Edmonton Oilers counterparts. One game in Calgary, one in Edmonton, both at 7 p.m. MT - because why, of course, would you stagger split squad games when you know there are people out there who would enjoy watching both Battles of Alberta? What are we trying to do here, make sense??
Both games can be found streaming on the Flames site at the appropriate time. Set up a dual or split screen system, and join in on the fun!
Prospects will be fighting to stay in camp, tryouts will be fighting for contracts, and veterans will be fighting to solidify their spots in the lineup and ensure they're ready for when the games really matter.
Here's the projected awesome lineup:
| Calgary Flames in Calgary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing | |||
| Johnny Gaudreau | Sean Monahan | Jiri Hudler | |||
| Mason Raymond | Sam Bennett | Michael Frolik | |||
| Micheal Ferland | Matt Stajan | Emile Poirier | |||
| Brandon Bollig | Drew Shore | Hunter Smith | |||
| Left Defence | Right Defence | ||||
| Mark Giordano | T.J. Brodie | ||||
| Tyler Wotherspoon | Dougie Hamilton | ||||
| Brett Kulak | Jakub Nakladal | ||||
| Patrick Sieloff | Keegan Kanzig | ||||
| Goalies | |||||
| Jonas Hiller | |||||
| Joni Ortio | |||||
And here's the projected scrappy lineup that just so happens to have the required number of veterans:
| Calgary Flames at Edmonton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing | |||
| Lance Bouma | Mikael Backlund | David Jones | |||
| Morgan Klimchuk | Markus Granlund | Kenny Agostino | |||
| Bryce Van Brabant | Turner Elson | Austin Carroll | |||
| Andrew Mangiapane | Derek Grant | Garnet Hathaway | |||
| Joe Colborne | |||||
| Left Defence | Right Defence | ||||
| Kris Russell | Dennis Wideman | ||||
| Ryan Wilson | Rasmus Andersson | ||||
| Oliver Kylington | Deryk Engelland | ||||
| Dustin Stevenson | Kenny Morrison | ||||
| Goalies | |||||
| Karri Ramo | |||||
| Mason McDonald | |||||
| Kent Simpson | |||||
Italicized players are not necessarily expected to play, but to be present - as in, they should be with the team at the time.
Players in camp who are not dressed for either game are:
- G Nick Schneider
- D Aaron Johnson
- D Douglas Murray
- LW Ryan Lomberg
- C Bill Arnold
- C Mitchell Heard
- C Josh Jooris
- RW Louick Marcotte
- RW Blair Riley
Injured:
- G Jon Gillies
- D Ryan Culkin
- D Ladislav Smid
- C Paul Byron
These lineups really aren't any surprise - in split squad games, teams typically like to dress their better players for their home fans - so if we're being honest with ourselves, we can probably expect a home win and away loss (but it would be awesome to come away with two wins).
Either way, though, this is purely for development, cuts, and pride - all necessary en route to Oct. 7, when suddenly, the games really mean something again.
Until then - 7 p.m. MT tonight!