Interview with Craig Conroy (Pt 1)
On recent activities: Been busy with big club. Went to World Juniors. Watched all the Heat games online. Going to see all the first rounders in the OHL/QMJHL/College Free Agents. Flames let go of alot of key people so he's been taking alot of extra work.
On respect for management: As a player you just play. As management, always have phone on you, going 24/7, meeting with agents. Have great staff in Calgary and Abbotsford so his job was easier.
On Poirier: Exciting for Flames Management to watch. Great speed, takes puck hard to net. Left shot that plays on the right side. Flames want to build up right side. Poirier exceeded initial expectations. They knew it was coming, not that it would be this quick.
On 2013 First Round Picks: Excited about top picks. Everytime he went to see Klimchuk, he got hurt. Morgan is a hard worker, comes and plays. Morgan knows he needs to get bigger, stronger, make better plays, get better timing. He knows what to work on and he's happy with that. Happy about Monohan, but they need him to repeat. Work harder, come back and prove you can do it again next year.
On Max Reinhart: His personality and game changed in the offseason. He knows what to expect. Had a great summer putting in work. Came to camp in good shape, proved he could play in the NHL, came to Abby with a GREAT attitude. Reinhart is ready to make the next step to the NHL.
On the Finns: Granlund came in and scored a couple goals and then got hurt. He surpassed expectations. Had option to go to Finland after a month and he chose to stay. He's grown by leaps and bounds. Excited for future for Markus. Great chance he will play in NHL next year. Ortio became a pro when he returned to Finland. Struggled here, went home with great attitude, came back and got send to ECHL, took it in stride, then up to AHL and NHL and took it well. Went from first guy off the ice to last guy. He's become a good pro.
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