[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

This is the offense edition of what I've seen from the Abbotsford Heat so far this season.

Players:

Cam Cunning: Cunning seems to be a streaky player play-wise and points-wise. However, the amount of points he has this season doesn't do justice as to how he plays when he's on his game. With only 4 goals and 9 points so far this season, it seems that Playfair still sees something in him. Playfair has Cunning playing, usually, on the second or third line. As a top two LW (usually only behind Colin Stuart), he has some talent as a sniper, but isn't afraid to grind and/or fight if he has to. He's an average skater with a great shot. When he does shoot, he picks the corners well. Unfortunately, he'll most likely be a permanent AHLer, but that's not to take anything away from him talent wise. He's definitely an asset to the Heat and he's more than happy to be back in BC according to the Abbotsford Times' profile on him (sorry, no link).

Kris Chucko: Perhaps behind Jaffray and Lundmark, Chucko is the next best forward on the ice each night. He's very consistent and doesn't make very many mistakes. Also, he's unbelievably balanced skill-wise. He'll shoot the puck if he thinks he can get it in the net, but he isn't afraid to pass the puck to a teammate. He's a strong forechecker, but he doesn't slack on the backcheck either. He's also a beast when it comes to cycling the puck. It seems to me that the Heat coaching staff has done very well in preparing Chucko to make the next step to the NHL. Look for him to be one of the first players to be called up if the Flames need him.

Garth Murray: Playfair seems to be using Murray as a veteran teacher type for the young players even though he's only 27 years old. The coaching staff also must have a lot of confidence in his defensive ability because the first line (when at Home) usually seems to be Murray (C), Grantham (RW), and Cunning (LW). This checking line does very well against some of the highest skilled lines on opposing teams. He has some offensive skill at getting garbage goals, but he's more of a defensive asset to the Heat offense.

Mikael Backlund: I want to be optimistic about Backlund, but he makes it so hard for me to do that when I watch him play. Yes, he's young. Yes, he's new to the AHL. Yes, he's relatively new to North American hockey. I understand these reasons. But let's look at his achievements so far in his career: 1st Round pick, won 2 silver medals with Team Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championships, won the WHL Championship with the Kelowna Rockets, and averaged more than one point-per-game with the Rockets in the 08/09 regular season and got 23 points in 19 games in the post season. I'd say that's a pretty good start to a young career. I think everyone on CalgaryPuck knows what Backlund is capable of. BUT, Backlund's biggest problem is his laziness. He's poor on the backcheck. When the puck comes to a defender he doesn't skate very hard to check him. I know he's a finesse player, but when he has the chance to grind along the boards, he stands back and lets teammates do the dirty work. I hate to say it, but I'm surprised he has 14 points so far this season. That seems like alot for the little amount of work that he's doing. On the other hand, he does make some great passes. He skates his ass off when he has the puck. He's very smart offensively, which sticks out as his greatest strength (i.e. he knows where to be on the ice to get good scoring chances). However, maybe it's the high expectations Flames fans have put on him, but he's not sticking out on the ice like he should be - and if he is sticking out, it's not for the right reasons. It's hard to describe how he's doing so far this season without seeing him for yourself. His play so far this season has been very very average. If you didn't previously know what Backlund is capable of, you wouldn't even notice him on the ice. Yes, folks it's really that average. I'm not exaggerating to any degree. Everything I've seen from him is very blahzay. I wouldn't recommend that Darryl calls him up if there's an injury. There's far greater talent on the Heat than Backlund to fill a roster spot.

Jason Jaffray: The Manitoba Moose are suckers. I can't believe they didn't resign him when they had the chance. Clearly, Jaffray is in his prime right now. It's too bad there is so much competition to get a spot on the Flames roster right now because he is the Matt Pelech of the offense (see my other thread). He stands out every game as the biggest offensive threat on the team. So far this season he has 25 points. He is definitely on track to reach at least last season's plateau of 49 points. I can't say enough Jaffray's ability to shoot the puck, grind, pass, forecheck, hit, etc. He does it all. I'm just happy he's Flames property now and not Canucks property. Also, the crowd loves him. Him and Pelech get the biggest cheers for the intro. Jaffray has to be the first call up if anything happens to any Flames players. He is the most NHL-ready forward on the team.

Ryley Grantham: I haven't paid much attention to Grantham this season. However, I have noticed that he's more of a defensive forward/enforcer type of player. He hits hard, and he grinds hard in the corners. If anybody has anything else to add about Grantham, feel free to do so.

... Continue to Part II.