[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

This is my opinion of what I have been seeing so far from some of the Heat players 23 games into the season:

Players:

Pelech: He's so NHL ready. In all honesty, when watching him play, he stands out on the ice. It's hard to miss him (not just in terms of height, but in terms of playmaking, positioning, leadership, grinding, etc.) He is a stay at home defensemen, but at times he'll rush the net to cause havoc for the goalie. It's hard to describe just how ready he is for the NHL, but we all know the competition to break the top 8 nevermind even getting onto the Flames roster. Also, Pelech is by far the biggest sh*t starter on the team. Opposing players hate to play against him. If Sarich and Regehr had a baby, Pelech would be that baby.

Keith Seabrook: I kind of like to recognize Seabrook as the unsung hero of the team. Little known about him, but is he ever good. Playfair has him on the first defensive pairing with Pelech already. He's the smallest D-Man on the Heat, but he's fast, can pass the puck like it's nobody's business, and can even hit fairly well. Rarely is ever caught out of position and he isn't scared to grind along the boards. I would compare him to a Duncan Keith-like player (small, fast, good puck mover, etc.)

Negrin: Playfair only plays him off and on. He's not a staple in the Heat's blueline this season. It seems that Negrin and Palin are the only two defensemen rotating this season, but we'll see what happens later on. However, contrary to what people on this forum believe, Negrin is not NHL ready. He's getting there, but he's definitely not ready. At times he seems nervous on the ice, and because of that nervousness he gets caught out of position quite a bit. He needs to make better decisions on the ice. For example, whether or not to go for a puck or stay back incase of an opposing rush. Often he'll go for the puck, and get caught out of play. However, the scouts are right when they say he's a good skater. He's also not afraid to hit or shoot the puck on net when he gets the chance. With his shot from the point alone he can create quite a bit of scoring chances.

Aulie: Keith Aulie is almost a carbon copy of what I just said about Negrin. The most glaring difference between them is that NOBODY can run over Aulie to get to the net. He is the guardian of the net. I would imagine Irving loves having Aulie in front of the net to clear the way so he can see the puck. Again, great skater, okay puck mover, but does get caught out of position sometimes.

Cole: Unfortunately, Cole will probably be a permanent AHLer. Besides his wickedly awesome porn-stache he's growing right now for charity, he's a real prick on the ice (like Pelech). Depending on Playfair, the first pairing is usually Seabrook-Pelech, or Seabrook-Cole. There's not much to say about Cole other than he's average at just about everything. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. He rarely makes a mistake other taking at least one bad penalty each game.

Baldwin: Again, Baldwin will probably be a permanent AHLer. He hasn't been in the lineup very often, but when he is, he's a sh*t disturber much like the rest of our defense. He's big, can move people with ease, but he isn't the greatest skater. He relies more on his size than speed when opposing players are trying to get by him.

Palin: It seems a large group of people on Calgary Puck were expecting to see Palin get into the Flames roster for the last couple of years. However, from what I've seen of him, he most likely will remain an AHLer. He's getting up there in age (26 years old). He hasn't shown that he can beat out the likes of Pardy, Pelech, Kronwall, Johnson, or Giordano. In my opinion, it's not likely he'll be seen in a Flames jersey. Although, he is a great player for the Heat. He's big, hits alot, but stays in position, blocks shots. He's good for the Heat, not for the Flames.

Overall, it's our rookie AHLers that I'm excited about (Negrin, Seabrook, Aulie). They are the future of not only the Heat, but of the Flames too.

I'm especially impressed with Seabrook so far this season. For a defenseman he's quite quick-footed and can score just as well as a forward. Love watching him on the ice. Love even more that he's Flames property.

I'll put out an Forwards edition next.