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Drury18 · 01-05-2015, 12:27 AM

I have to split up "AHL Career Players" into guys who will spend their career bouncing around the AHL and guys who are integral pieces of an AHL team to help the development of players who are prospects in our system. To me, these are two very different positions and one being a very important one because you have to have some of those players on an AHL team for leadership and direction.

NHL Impact Players:

Emile Poirier - His 2015-16 season to do list needs to have "Buy Calder Trophy Polish" on it. And work on some goal celebrations. Unless something SERIOUSLY goes wrong in his development, this kid is going to be something else for the Flames.

Joni Ortio - You can pry the homer glasses from my cold, dead hands. I think Ortio has the right attitude, personality and skills to be an NHL goaltender and a good one to boot. We have watched him bail his team out game after game. Ortio doesn't lose games for his team, he pulls out saves and helps them win when they are over their heads. He seems to love the pressure and earns the trust of his coaches and teammates. All the tools be a great NHL player.

NHL Support Players:

Corban Knight - He could almost be a fringe player but I think his face-off ability is going to be what carries any NHL career he has. He's good at face-offs and he can score clutch goals, so I think he could solidify a spot on an NHL team as a 3rd line centre as well as a PK unit centre. He'll spend most nights doing his thing quietly maybe having a break out and notice me game here and there.

David Wolf - I think this is the face of the new NHL "goon" if you will. Players who have higher skill, but not afraid to get in there and stand up for their teammates. Instead of having guys like McGrattan where they are only known for fighting and have limited other skills in hockey, Wolf has shown he can pass the puck well, an absolute freight train when he gets moving with the puck and can take and hand out clean HEAVY hits. He will be a 4th liner that you put out for that intimidation factor while still being able to rely on him to make plays and be a part of the offense.

Bill Arnold - Much like Knight, any NHL success he gets will probably be based around his face-off abilities. He's shown alot of promise in this area so far this season, as well as being an excellent playmaker to a very quick and shifty winger. He plays well defensively too. He definitely has some tools to be a good NHL support player. However, with Knight and Colborne, I'm not sure if he would have a place on the Flames in that capacity. He might be another player who ends up being moved due to redundancy and playing this role on another team.

Tyler Wotherspoon - Possibly could even be an impact player. Is a steady defenceman who rarely makes mistakes and logs LONG minutes every night. Starting to learn how to use his cannon of a shot. If he can put it all together at the NHL level, he will be an impact player.

NHL Fringe Players:

Michael Ferland - Needs to find some consistency before I'd put him any higher up on the list. Some nights he's all over the ice and well disciplined and some nights he's wanting to thug it up. The biggest factor in his NHL success is much like Baertschi, between the ears. If he can get it all straight, he will be in the NHL. If he struggles, he will probably quit the game instead of plug away in the AHL.

Max Reinhart - I want so much more from him and I hope for so much more from him, but to be realistic, I think he will probably be one of those tweener players who gets thrown into deadline trades and plays a few great games in the NHL with his new team before going back to the minors to help develop other prospects. Best case, he catches on as a Top 9 guy and plays low double digits a night against the other teams 2nd line as he does have strong defensive play and makes good decisions. He just can't seem to figure out how to score consistently.

Sven Baertschi - If he gets his head together and keeps playing like he has the last couple games, he goes up to Support Player. If the Sven of old shows up again, he stays in fringe. It's a really awkward time to rate him because he's JUST starting to break out of the bad attitude and bad habits. We've seen this before and then he returns to his old ways. I would rather give an answer on this in March after you see if this new Sven sticks around for any length of time. I also don't think he sees NHL success with the Flames. I think he needs to be moved to a team out East to have a real chance. He doesn't play Western Conference style hockey, he plays Eastern Conference style.

Ryan Culkin - Well, he's a beast on the PP as he's currently one of the top defenceman in the AHL on the PP. He's also a rookie and with 28 games it's hard to be certain of anything. He could be a PP Quarterback. Let's see how he ends up at the end of the year.

AHL Career Players - Bouncers:

Garnet Hathaway - I don't think he has the skills to make it to the NHL, but he can probably have a decent AHL career. It's hard to tell with him as he's an older player coming out of college and only has 50 or so games in the AHL.

Devin Setoguchi - I really question his injury. I really wonder if the injury is to his ego rather than legit. I have no proof, but it's a gut feeling as there's no information about him at all. He played well for a couple of the games he was with the Flames, but I think his sort of position as his career is winding down.

Taylor Vause - He's a spark plug and he gets his linemates going and playing a little better. I hope that the Flames offer him an AHL contract as I have a feeling if we don't, he will be picked up very quickly by another team much like Brodie Reid was. He can play and play well at the AHL level and shown he deserves to play in this league.

Bryce Van Brabant - Streaky. Streaky, streaky, streaky. But big. And when he's good, he's on fire. Being a college guy, again, need a little more time to see what he can do and what he levels off to because Josh Jooris sort of played the same way he did with similar numbers and streaks and look how that ended up.

Turner Elson - When bad things happen to good guys. If he could cash in some of his personality points for a little more skill, he'd be set. He tries hard, he works hard, he's got a great personality. It just isn't enough to push past some of the guys he's fighting for a spot with. He will probably spend time bouncing from AHL team to AHL team.

Mathieu Tousignant - I like the guy. But his role can and will be easily replaced once the next batch of prospects come in. Wolf is almost making him redundant at this point. He will bounce to his next AHL team when the season ends.

AHL Career Players - Builders:

Kenny Agostino - He's going to be one of those guys who teach our prospects while they are in the AHL and help them out to NHL careers. Again, he's early in his AHL career and a college guy whose hit a wall to boot, but it seems like he's going to be a solid AHL guy.

Ben Hanowski - He's stepped up in his second year of being an AHL player to the point the coach has him wearing an A because of his leadership and his attitude in the rink. Same reasons he wore the C in college. I think after this season, Ben becomes the Captain of the Baby Flames and mentors our young guys into their roles on the team while keeping the AHL team successful. He takes the AHL seriously and he takes the leadership role seriously, it's a great mix. I hope that he sees a reward for all of this with some NHL time and maybe can stay up and play some good minutes for a bit, but I get the feeling he will ultimately spend most of his seasons in the AHL.

Brad Thiessen - Extremely competent backup goalie. Probably not starter material anymore and nearing the end of the career, but he has been a solid backup for the Flames and based on his play this season, could continue in that role for at least another season.

Mark Cundari - I think he knows he's an AHL career player at this point. I don't think we are informing him of anything new here. He might be a call up much like Potter if they need a 7th guy, but I don't think he will ever be called up to play big minutes. He's a great option for a fill in, but not long term.

AHL Fringe Players:

Trevor Gillies - The writing is on the wall. His career is done. Why he even has one with the Flames right now baffles the mind.
Sena Acolaste - He's been replaced on a team before, he will be replaced again.

Dustin Stevenson - He probably should be in the ECHL right now logging more minutes as he's part of the rotating Dmen routine in Adirondack and starting to lose more starts due to others earning spots ahead of him. He hasn't shown anything to deserve the time every night. There is a reason why he's spent most of his career in the ECHL.

John Ramage - Being in the ECHL did wonders for his game last season, but he still has things to work on. He's not quite needing to be in the ECHL, but he has some things to work on to be consistent in the AHL.

Nolan Yonkman - Dollars to doughnuts, he retires after this season. Much like Dean Arsene, we signed him for his final year and gave him the C so he could finish out an AHL career with some respect. We will have no need for him next year with the sheer amount of D-men we have coming in and currently there as well as he will be 35 and probably choose to shut it down anyway.

Guys who lost a year of development and keep getting injured so you can't really tell what they are able to do:

Patrick Sieloff - I honestly have no clue what to say about him or where he will end up. He lost a year of development, he's injured again now. He plays okay, but he gets hurt. He needed a good AHL year to catch up on lost time and so we can tell what he could do. He's currently on the rotating D-man roster so he doesn't even have full time AHL minutes. I think he's still a year or two away from being able to accurately assess what he can do. And bubble wrap him, please someone bubble wrap him.

01-05-2015, 12:27 AM	#5
Drury18 Franchise Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Exp:	I have to split up "AHL Career Players" into guys who will spend their career bouncing around the AHL and guys who are integral pieces of an AHL team to help the development of players who are prospects in our system. To me, these are two very different positions and one being a very important one because you have to have some of those players on an AHL team for leadership and direction. NHL Impact Players: Emile Poirier - His 2015-16 season to do list needs to have "Buy Calder Trophy Polish" on it. And work on some goal celebrations. Unless something SERIOUSLY goes wrong in his development, this kid is going to be something else for the Flames. Joni Ortio - You can pry the homer glasses from my cold, dead hands. I think Ortio has the right attitude, personality and skills to be an NHL goaltender and a good one to boot. We have watched him bail his team out game after game. Ortio doesn't lose games for his team, he pulls out saves and helps them win when they are over their heads. He seems to love the pressure and earns the trust of his coaches and teammates. All the tools be a great NHL player. NHL Support Players: Corban Knight - He could almost be a fringe player but I think his face-off ability is going to be what carries any NHL career he has. He's good at face-offs and he can score clutch goals, so I think he could solidify a spot on an NHL team as a 3rd line centre as well as a PK unit centre. He'll spend most nights doing his thing quietly maybe having a break out and notice me game here and there. David Wolf - I think this is the face of the new NHL "goon" if you will. Players who have higher skill, but not afraid to get in there and stand up for their teammates. Instead of having guys like McGrattan where they are only known for fighting and have limited other skills in hockey, Wolf has shown he can pass the puck well, an absolute freight train when he gets moving with the puck and can take and hand out clean HEAVY hits. He will be a 4th liner that you put out for that intimidation factor while still being able to rely on him to make plays and be a part of the offense. Bill Arnold - Much like Knight, any NHL success he gets will probably be based around his face-off abilities. He's shown alot of promise in this area so far this season, as well as being an excellent playmaker to a very quick and shifty winger. He plays well defensively too. He definitely has some tools to be a good NHL support player. However, with Knight and Colborne, I'm not sure if he would have a place on the Flames in that capacity. He might be another player who ends up being moved due to redundancy and playing this role on another team. Tyler Wotherspoon - Possibly could even be an impact player. Is a steady defenceman who rarely makes mistakes and logs LONG minutes every night. Starting to learn how to use his cannon of a shot. If he can put it all together at the NHL level, he will be an impact player. NHL Fringe Players: Michael Ferland - Needs to find some consistency before I'd put him any higher up on the list. Some nights he's all over the ice and well disciplined and some nights he's wanting to thug it up. The biggest factor in his NHL success is much like Baertschi, between the ears. If he can get it all straight, he will be in the NHL. If he struggles, he will probably quit the game instead of plug away in the AHL. Max Reinhart - I want so much more from him and I hope for so much more from him, but to be realistic, I think he will probably be one of those tweener players who gets thrown into deadline trades and plays a few great games in the NHL with his new team before going back to the minors to help develop other prospects. Best case, he catches on as a Top 9 guy and plays low double digits a night against the other teams 2nd line as he does have strong defensive play and makes good decisions. He just can't seem to figure out how to score consistently. Sven Baertschi - If he gets his head together and keeps playing like he has the last couple games, he goes up to Support Player. If the Sven of old shows up again, he stays in fringe. It's a really awkward time to rate him because he's JUST starting to break out of the bad attitude and bad habits. We've seen this before and then he returns to his old ways. I would rather give an answer on this in March after you see if this new Sven sticks around for any length of time. I also don't think he sees NHL success with the Flames. I think he needs to be moved to a team out East to have a real chance. He doesn't play Western Conference style hockey, he plays Eastern Conference style. Ryan Culkin - Well, he's a beast on the PP as he's currently one of the top defenceman in the AHL on the PP. He's also a rookie and with 28 games it's hard to be certain of anything. He could be a PP Quarterback. Let's see how he ends up at the end of the year. AHL Career Players - Bouncers: Garnet Hathaway - I don't think he has the skills to make it to the NHL, but he can probably have a decent AHL career. It's hard to tell with him as he's an older player coming out of college and only has 50 or so games in the AHL. Devin Setoguchi - I really question his injury. I really wonder if the injury is to his ego rather than legit. I have no proof, but it's a gut feeling as there's no information about him at all. He played well for a couple of the games he was with the Flames, but I think his sort of position as his career is winding down. Taylor Vause - He's a spark plug and he gets his linemates going and playing a little better. I hope that the Flames offer him an AHL contract as I have a feeling if we don't, he will be picked up very quickly by another team much like Brodie Reid was. He can play and play well at the AHL level and shown he deserves to play in this league. Bryce Van Brabant - Streaky. Streaky, streaky, streaky. But big. And when he's good, he's on fire. Being a college guy, again, need a little more time to see what he can do and what he levels off to because Josh Jooris sort of played the same way he did with similar numbers and streaks and look how that ended up. Turner Elson - When bad things happen to good guys. If he could cash in some of his personality points for a little more skill, he'd be set. He tries hard, he works hard, he's got a great personality. It just isn't enough to push past some of the guys he's fighting for a spot with. He will probably spend time bouncing from AHL team to AHL team. Mathieu Tousignant - I like the guy. But his role can and will be easily replaced once the next batch of prospects come in. Wolf is almost making him redundant at this point. He will bounce to his next AHL team when the season ends. AHL Career Players - Builders: Kenny Agostino - He's going to be one of those guys who teach our prospects while they are in the AHL and help them out to NHL careers. Again, he's early in his AHL career and a college guy whose hit a wall to boot, but it seems like he's going to be a solid AHL guy. Ben Hanowski - He's stepped up in his second year of being an AHL player to the point the coach has him wearing an A because of his leadership and his attitude in the rink. Same reasons he wore the C in college. I think after this season, Ben becomes the Captain of the Baby Flames and mentors our young guys into their roles on the team while keeping the AHL team successful. He takes the AHL seriously and he takes the leadership role seriously, it's a great mix. I hope that he sees a reward for all of this with some NHL time and maybe can stay up and play some good minutes for a bit, but I get the feeling he will ultimately spend most of his seasons in the AHL. Brad Thiessen - Extremely competent backup goalie. Probably not starter material anymore and nearing the end of the career, but he has been a solid backup for the Flames and based on his play this season, could continue in that role for at least another season. Mark Cundari - I think he knows he's an AHL career player at this point. I don't think we are informing him of anything new here. He might be a call up much like Potter if they need a 7th guy, but I don't think he will ever be called up to play big minutes. He's a great option for a fill in, but not long term. AHL Fringe Players: Trevor Gillies - The writing is on the wall. His career is done. Why he even has one with the Flames right now baffles the mind. Sena Acolaste - He's been replaced on a team before, he will be replaced again. Dustin Stevenson - He probably should be in the ECHL right now logging more minutes as he's part of the rotating Dmen routine in Adirondack and starting to lose more starts due to others earning spots ahead of him. He hasn't shown anything to deserve the time every night. There is a reason why he's spent most of his career in the ECHL. John Ramage - Being in the ECHL did wonders for his game last season, but he still has things to work on. He's not quite needing to be in the ECHL, but he has some things to work on to be consistent in the AHL. Nolan Yonkman - Dollars to doughnuts, he retires after this season. Much like Dean Arsene, we signed him for his final year and gave him the C so he could finish out an AHL career with some respect. We will have no need for him next year with the sheer amount of D-men we have coming in and currently there as well as he will be 35 and probably choose to shut it down anyway. Guys who lost a year of development and keep getting injured so you can't really tell what they are able to do: Patrick Sieloff - I honestly have no clue what to say about him or where he will end up. He lost a year of development, he's injured again now. He plays okay, but he gets hurt. He needed a good AHL year to catch up on lost time and so we can tell what he could do. He's currently on the rotating D-man roster so he doesn't even have full time AHL minutes. I think he's still a year or two away from being able to accurately assess what he can do. And bubble wrap him, please someone bubble wrap him.