Calgary Flames 2017 Entry Draft

[Cheese]

The overall evaluation of the Calgary Flames weekend at the 2017 CPHL Entry Draft was positive.
Of course, every team says that five minutes after the two-day event is over.
But walking out of the arena on Saturday afternoon — with the 20th and 22nd overall draft picks GM Cheese coveted (Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamato) and was happy to get both in those positions. “We’re excited,” Cheese said. “I think we’ve added some skill and different positions that fulfill a need. We’ve added a goaltender in the 2nd round, Jake Oettinger, that if you would have asked me (Friday afternoon), I didn’t think (we’d get). But you put them in order that you want them … and we’re happy.”
The Flames had a hunch what was going to happen early during Saturday’s first round. When the teams above them started drafting for their positional needs rather than selecting the best players at the draft, they had a feeling Kostin and Yamamato were going to fall into their laps.
“(We weren’t surprised) at all,” said Flames head scout Mrs. Cheese. “When you do this for a long time, your intelligence is up. You talk to people and you talk to agents, and you have a good idea what’s going on. When we went to the draft floor on Friday, we thought we had a chance at Klim at twenty, for sure.”
Calgary needed a bit of everything and addressed those needs.
After nabbing Kostin and Yamamato the Flames had four picks in second-round action and selected dominant Russian Center Alexei Lipanov, Boston U’s Goalie Jake Oettinger, Czech Center Ostap Safin and C/LW Marcus Davidsson from Sweden. They rolled on from there.
All of their draft selections will report to Calgary’s summer development camp, which starts July 4. From there, time will tell.
“We’re happy,” Cheese said. “These kind of drafts, everyone will get all excited and say, ‘I can’t believe he was there at this spot. But the reality is, it’s going to take time. The players are going to have to put in the work. (Saturday), as exciting as it is, the stopwatch goes off and it’ll be a long time until players develop.
“Hopefully one day, they’ll turn into players for us.”
And Cheese’s’s work isn’t over.
With a list of restricted and unrestricted free agents they’ll need to extend qualifying offers to soon.
“This is one day,” Cheese said. “We don’t play until October. We’ll keep banging away at it. There’s still lots to do and we’ll hammer away at it tomorrow.”

Flames round 1

Pick 20 - Klim Kostin, Dynamo Moskava, KHL
Height 6’3” — Weight 196 lbs - RW
A dynamic player on the international stage. With five points in six games, he led the Russians to the silver medal at the 2015 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. He followed that up with four points in five games as an underager at the 2016 Under 18 World Championships. This summer he had four goals and seven points in five games, helping Russia to a bronze at the Ivan Hlinka. He also picked up three points in three games at the World Junior A Challenge. He was drafted first overall in the CHL Import Draft, but choose to stay in Russia instead of joining the Kootenay Ice.


Pick 22 - Kailer Yamamato, WHL
Height 5’9″ — Weight 160 lbs - LW
Kailer Yamamoto really made waves during the 2015-16 season when put up 19 goals and 71 points in just 57 games to lead the Spokane Chiefs in scoring. He was invited to play for Team USA at the 2016 IIHF Under 18 World Championships. Yamamoto scored seven goals and 13 points in just seven games in the tournament, helping the United States to a bronze medal. He also played in the Ivan Hlinka in the summer in 2015, putting up four goals and seven points in four games during that tournament.
After his big coming out party, he’s improved his draft stock with another strong season this year. Yamamoto scored 42 goals and 99 points in just 65 games for the Chiefs. He was one of the brightest spots on a disappointing team that finished 14 points out of the final playoff spot in the WHL Western Conference.

Flames round 2
Pick 33 - Alexei Lipanov, Dynamo Balashikha, VHL
Height 6’0″ — Weight 170 lbs - C
Alexei Lipanov really broke out at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge. He played on a line with 2018 NHL Draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov, and the two dominated the tournament. Lipanov had four goals and eight points in just four games. Russia would take home the bronze medal. Lipanov also played at last summer’s Ivan Hlinka Tournament, scoring five points in five games. He was also part of the Russian team that won bronze at the 2015 Under 18s, though his stat line of just three assists in seven games wasn’t really indicative of how well he played in the tournament. He also played in both the Under 17 and Under 18 during the 2015-16 season.

Pick 40 - Jake Oettinger, Boston University Terriers, NCAA Hockey East
Height 6’4″ — Weight 205 lbs - G
Jake Oettinger had an incredible freshman year with the Boston University Terriers. He won the starting goaltender job, played in 35 games, and put up a 2.11 goals against average as well as a .927 save percentage. His efforts earned him a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and the Hockey East Second Team All-Stars. He was also selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, however he was the third string goalie and didn’t get any playing time. He is expected to battle with his former US NTDP teammate Joseph Woll for the starting spot on next year’s team.
Oettinger does have plenty of international experience, playing for Team USA at both the 2016 and 2015 Under 18 World Championships, winning bronze and gold medals respectively; and playing in the 2015 Under 17 World Hockey Championship, putting up the best goals against average in the tournament and winning a silver medal. Oettinger also played in the All-American top prospects game in Philadelphia this past fall.
Pick 42 - Ostap Safin, Sparta Praha, Czech Extraliga
Height 6’4″ — Weight 198 lbs – C
Last summer the Czechs finally won the Ivan Hlinka, the under 18 showcase event that they have hosted each summer since 1991. A big part of that victory was Ostap Safin who was used in all situations, and put up three goals and four points at the event. He has estabilished himself as a staple of Czech teams, also playing at the 2017 IIHF Under 18s, the Five Nations, and the 2015-16 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. His four points in five games at the U18 showed that his Hlinka performance was no fluke.
Pick 44 - Marcus Davidsson, Djugardens, SHL
Height 6’0 — Weight 192 lbs – C/LW
Davidsson is more quick than fast. He has good speed, but a great first step and excellent acceleration means that he reaches that top end speed extremely quickly, and is very effective in short races to loose pucks. He moves quickly through turns, and accelerates with excellent crossovers. His agility and edge work are top notch and make him able to move quickly laterally both when attacking and in protecting his own zone. Davidsson has a strong lower body, and has good balance. He uses this well in fighting for position in front of the net, as well as fighting through checks, hooks and holds. He is also good in winning battles along the boards and establishing position in front of the net.

Flames round 3
Pick 85 - Cale Fleury, Kootenay Ice, WHL
Height 6’1.5″ — Weight 199 lbs – D
The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Haydn Fleury, Cale Fleury is a legitimate prospect in his own right. He has been a key player for the Kootenay Ice over the last three years, and was even named team captain after the trade deadline this year. During his three years with the Ice, they have been a rebuilding team, and so the stat lines may not fully reflect Fleury’s individual talent. He scored 11 goals and 38 points in 70 games this year. He finished fourth in team scoring (second amongst players who finished the season with Kootenay).

Flames round 4
Pick 98 - Santeri Virtanen, TPS U-20, Jr. A SM-Liiga
Height 6’2″ — Weight 194 lbs – C/LW
Santeri Virtanen plays a power forward style of game. He is good at getting to the front of net, both with and without the puck. When he gets the puck in close, he has the soft hands to finish in tight to the net. Without the puck, he establishes position, screens goaltenders and generally causes havoc. He can tip in pucks, and also pounce on rebounds. Virtanen also has a good wrist shot that he can fire from further out. It is heavy and has good accuracy, as well as featuring a quick release.


Pick 99 – Cayden Primeau, USA U18 – Lincoln Stars
Height 6’3″ — Weight 179 lbs – G
The son of former NHLer Keith Primeau, Lincoln Stars goalie Cayden Primeau remains a top prospect despite struggling through the early stages of his first USHL campaign. His intangibles (size) and athleticism continue to attract the attention of NHL brass.
Competing in a league where it generally takes one or two seasons for goalies to make their mark, Primeau, at times, was over aggressive, which often led him to take bad angles on shot attempts. He finished the 2016-17 USHL regular season with a 14-11-0-1 record, 3.16 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. He rebounded and enjoyed a stronger second half.


Pick 102 – Tylor Inamato, USNTDB Juniors – USAU18
Height 6’2″ — Weight 196 lbs – D
Inamoto is an interesting type of hybrid defender. He skates very well and has a degree of mobility that’s really impressive considering his nearly 200-pound frame. His skating ability makes his defensive positioning seemingly effortless and second-nature. While he moves really well, the other side of the hybrid style he displays is a commitment to engaging the opposition physically. In other words? Inamoto seems to love crashing into oncoming forwards. At times that’s gotten him into a bit of trouble, as he’s occasionally taken some silly penalties as a result of engaging so frequently. That said, Inamoto developed a well-earned reputation as a player that makes opponents battle for their offensive time. It’s easy to imagine his style of play translating well into the pro game, particularly when it comes to playoff time where territory is at a premium.


Pick 111 – Alexander Volkov, SKA St. Petersburg
Height 6’1″ — Weight 192 lbs – LW
Ranked #84 by Future Considerations
Ranked #27 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)


Pick 113 – Adam Thilander, Skellefteå AIK J20 - OHL Height 6’0″ — Weight 190 lbs – D
This past season, Thilander was the highest scoring defenseman on North Bay, and the 4th highest scoring skater on the team with 35 points in 64 games. Perhaps a good thing for the Devils, he shot 125 times over the course of the season, which comes out to 1.95 per game. For a team that is starved for offense like New Jersey is, getting someone who is not afraid to shoot and who has put up points in his career would certainly be a bonus.
However, it is also worth noting that North Bay was a particularly bad team this year. Of the 20 teams in the OHL, a whopping 16 make the playoffs. The Battalion? Nope, missed out. They ended up 9th in the Eastern Division, with a 24-38-4-2 record. They had a -69 goal differential, with 192 goals for and 261 goals against. So while Thilander was producing quality points, he was doing so on a team that was regularly getting beat, so the points he produced were not necessarily gotten in pressure-packed situations.

Flames round 5
Pick 135 – Olle Erickson-Ek, Färjestad BK J20
Height 6’2″ — Weight 187 lbs – G
2013-2014 TV-Pucken Best GAA (0.94)
TV-Pucken Best SVS% (.945) 2014-2015
TV-Pucken Best Goaltender TV-Pucken Gold Medal 2015-2016
U17 WHC Bronze Medal U18 WJC Silver Medal 2016-2017
J20 SuperElit (Forts) Best GAA (1.92)

Pick 141 – Jacob Paquette, Kingston OHL
Height 6’3″ — Weight 207 lbs – D
He’s a big defenceman who protects his blue-line. He’s difficult to beat one-on-one off the rush using his smarts, active stick, positioning and ability to close gaps quickly, not to mention a “have no fear mentality” to the physical game. And he can eat up big minutes. He plays calm under pressure and is very good when the opposition is on the forecheck

[Cheese]

Flames round 1

Pick 20 - Klim Kostin, Dynamo Moskava, KHL (NHL Draft 31 STL Blues)
Height 6’3” — Weight 196 lbs - RW
A dynamic player on the international stage. With five points in six games, he led the Russians to the silver medal at the 2015 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. He followed that up with four points in five games as an underager at the 2016 Under 18 World Championships. This summer he had four goals and seven points in five games, helping Russia to a bronze at the Ivan Hlinka. He also picked up three points in three games at the World Junior A Challenge. He was drafted first overall in the CHL Import Draft, but choose to stay in Russia instead of joining the Kootenay Ice.

Pick 22 - Kailer Yamamato, WHL (NHL Draft 22- Oilers)
Height 5’9″ — Weight 160 lbs - LW
Kailer Yamamoto really made waves during the 2015-16 season when put up 19 goals and 71 points in just 57 games to lead the Spokane Chiefs in scoring. He was invited to play for Team USA at the 2016 IIHF Under 18 World Championships. Yamamoto scored seven goals and 13 points in just seven games in the tournament, helping the United States to a bronze medal. He also played in the Ivan Hlinka in the summer in 2015, putting up four goals and seven points in four games during that tournament.
After his big coming out party, he’s improved his draft stock with another strong season this year. Yamamoto scored 42 goals and 99 points in just 65 games for the Chiefs. He was one of the brightest spots on a disappointing team that finished 14 points out of the final playoff spot in the WHL Western Conference.

Flames round 2
Pick 33 - Alexei Lipanov, Dynamo Balashikha, VHL (NHL Draft 76- Tbay)
Height 6’0″ — Weight 170 lbs - C
Alexei Lipanov really broke out at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge. He played on a line with 2018 NHL Draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov, and the two dominated the tournament. Lipanov had four goals and eight points in just four games. Russia would take home the bronze medal. Lipanov also played at last summer’s Ivan Hlinka Tournament, scoring five points in five games. He was also part of the Russian team that won bronze at the 2015 Under 18s, though his stat line of just three assists in seven games wasn’t really indicative of how well he played in the tournament. He also played in both the Under 17 and Under 18 during the 2015-16 season.

Pick 40 - Jake Oettinger, Boston University Terriers, NCAA Hockey East (NHL Draft 26- Dallas)
Height 6’4″ — Weight 205 lbs - G
Jake Oettinger had an incredible freshman year with the Boston University Terriers. He won the starting goaltender job, played in 35 games, and put up a 2.11 goals against average as well as a .927 save percentage. His efforts earned him a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and the Hockey East Second Team All-Stars. He was also selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, however he was the third string goalie and didn’t get any playing time. He is expected to battle with his former US NTDP teammate Joseph Woll for the starting spot on next year’s team.
Oettinger does have plenty of international experience, playing for Team USA at both the 2016 and 2015 Under 18 World Championships, winning bronze and gold medals respectively; and playing in the 2015 Under 17 World Hockey Championship, putting up the best goals against average in the tournament and winning a silver medal. Oettinger also played in the All-American top prospects game in Philadelphia this past fall.
Pick 42 - Ostap Safin, Sparta Praha, Czech Extraliga (NHL Draft 115- Oilers)
Height 6’4″ — Weight 198 lbs – C
Last summer the Czechs finally won the Ivan Hlinka, the under 18 showcase event that they have hosted each summer since 1991. A big part of that victory was Ostap Safin who was used in all situations, and put up three goals and four points at the event. He has estabilished himself as a staple of Czech teams, also playing at the 2017 IIHF Under 18s, the Five Nations, and the 2015-16 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge. His four points in five games at the U18 showed that his Hlinka performance was no fluke.
Pick 44 - Marcus Davidsson, Djugardens, SHL (NHL Draft 37- Sabres)
Height 6’0 — Weight 192 lbs – C/LW
Davidsson is more quick than fast. He has good speed, but a great first step and excellent acceleration means that he reaches that top end speed extremely quickly, and is very effective in short races to loose pucks. He moves quickly through turns, and accelerates with excellent crossovers. His agility and edge work are top notch and make him able to move quickly laterally both when attacking and in protecting his own zone. Davidsson has a strong lower body, and has good balance. He uses this well in fighting for position in front of the net, as well as fighting through checks, hooks and holds. He is also good in winning battles along the boards and establishing position in front of the net.

Flames round 3
Pick 85 - Cale Fleury, Kootenay Ice, WHL (NHL Draft 87- Montreal)
Height 6’1.5″ — Weight 199 lbs – D
The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Haydn Fleury, Cale Fleury is a legitimate prospect in his own right. He has been a key player for the Kootenay Ice over the last three years, and was even named team captain after the trade deadline this year. During his three years with the Ice, they have been a rebuilding team, and so the stat lines may not fully reflect Fleury’s individual talent. He scored 11 goals and 38 points in 70 games this year. He finished fourth in team scoring (second amongst players who finished the season with Kootenay).

Flames round 4
Pick 98 - Santeri Virtanen, TPS U-20, Jr. A SM-Liiga (NHL Draft 105- Jets)
Height 6’2″ — Weight 194 lbs – C/LW
Santeri Virtanen plays a power forward style of game. He is good at getting to the front of net, both with and without the puck. When he gets the puck in close, he has the soft hands to finish in tight to the net. Without the puck, he establishes position, screens goaltenders and generally causes havoc. He can tip in pucks, and also pounce on rebounds. Virtanen also has a good wrist shot that he can fire from further out. It is heavy and has good accuracy, as well as featuring a quick release.

Pick 99 – Cayden Primeau, USA U18 – Lincoln Stars (NHL Draft 199 - Montreal)
Height 6’3″ — Weight 179 lbs – G
The son of former NHLer Keith Primeau, Lincoln Stars goalie Cayden Primeau remains a top prospect despite struggling through the early stages of his first USHL campaign. His intangibles (size) and athleticism continue to attract the attention of NHL brass.
Competing in a league where it generally takes one or two seasons for goalies to make their mark, Primeau, at times, was over aggressive, which often led him to take bad angles on shot attempts. He finished the 2016-17 USHL regular season with a 14-11-0-1 record, 3.16 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. He rebounded and enjoyed a stronger second half.


Pick 102 – Tylor Inamato, USNTDB Juniors – USAU18 (NHL Draft 133 - Florida)
Height 6’2″ — Weight 196 lbs – D
Inamoto is an interesting type of hybrid defender. He skates very well and has a degree of mobility that’s really impressive considering his nearly 200-pound frame. His skating ability makes his defensive positioning seemingly effortless and second-nature. While he moves really well, the other side of the hybrid style he displays is a commitment to engaging the opposition physically. In other words? Inamoto seems to love crashing into oncoming forwards. At times that’s gotten him into a bit of trouble, as he’s occasionally taken some silly penalties as a result of engaging so frequently. That said, Inamoto developed a well-earned reputation as a player that makes opponents battle for their offensive time. It’s easy to imagine his style of play translating well into the pro game, particularly when it comes to playoff time where territory is at a premium.


Pick 111 – Alexander Volkov, SKA St. Petersburg (NHL Draft 48- Tbay)
Height 6’1″ — Weight 192 lbs – LW
Ranked #84 by Future Considerations
Ranked #27 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)


Pick 113 – Adam Thilander, Skellefteå AIK J20 - OHL Height 6’0″ — Weight 190 lbs – D
This past season, Thilander was the highest scoring defenseman on North Bay, and the 4th highest scoring skater on the team with 35 points in 64 games. Perhaps a good thing for the Devils, he shot 125 times over the course of the season, which comes out to 1.95 per game. For a team that is starved for offense like New Jersey is, getting someone who is not afraid to shoot and who has put up points in his career would certainly be a bonus.
However, it is also worth noting that North Bay was a particularly bad team this year. Of the 20 teams in the OHL, a whopping 16 make the playoffs. The Battalion? Nope, missed out. They ended up 9th in the Eastern Division, with a 24-38-4-2 record. They had a -69 goal differential, with 192 goals for and 261 goals against. So while Thilander was producing quality points, he was doing so on a team that was regularly getting beat, so the points he produced were not necessarily gotten in pressure-packed situations.

Flames round 5
Pick 135 – Olle Erickson-Ek, Färjestad BK J20 (NHL Draft 153- Anaheim)
Height 6’2″ — Weight 187 lbs – G
2013-2014 TV-Pucken Best GAA (0.94)
TV-Pucken Best SVS% (.945) 2014-2015
TV-Pucken Best Goaltender TV-Pucken Gold Medal 2015-2016
U17 WHC Bronze Medal U18 WJC Silver Medal 2016-2017
J20 SuperElit (Forts) Best GAA (1.92)

Pick 141 – Jacob Paquette, Kingston OHL (NHL Draft 216 - Nashville)
Height 6’3″ — Weight 207 lbs – D
He’s a big defenceman who protects his blue-line. He’s difficult to beat one-on-one off the rush using his smarts, active stick, positioning and ability to close gaps quickly, not to mention a “have no fear mentality” to the physical game. And he can eat up big minutes. He plays calm under pressure and is very good when the opposition is on the forecheck

[SportsJunky]

Looks like some nice value with the Volkov pick. Overall, very nice drafting.