[sureLoss]

Nice feature on Hickey in today's Sun:
http://www.calgarysun.com/2015/12/05...selection-camp

“Anybody that watches him, the first thing that will jump out is his skating ability,” said Terriers bench boss David Quinn, whose resume includes a one-season stint as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche. “He’s a guy who is incredibly agile. He’s got great feet. He’s great on his edges. A good-sized kid. Very physical. Competes really hard. He has a great shot — not only is it a heavy shot, but it rarely gets blocked. So there’s a lot to like about his game.

“The first thing I see with him is he defends very hard,” said Edwards, who is based in Maine and has watched Hickey live about a half-dozen times already this fall.

“He’s a competitive, competitive guy. He’s on the puck. He’s competitive on the puck. He’s really smart with his stick and he has an edge down there, which is good. I think that’s going to be probably the identity of his game is defending hard.”

“When you’re a defenceman like Brandon who has really good skating ability, if you make a mistake, your skating ability can allow you to recover,” added Flames director of amateur scouting Tod Button. “But you still need to have that will and that competitive nature to get back in a play and keep going. It’s the second and third effort. You look around, there are young players who have a lot of talent and they’re really good first-effort, but their game dwindles when they don’t get the second and third effort or they’re not persistent enough.

“That’s one thing Brandon has always had is that persistence and determination. And combined with his skating, it allows him to be aggressive and allows him to get back in plays when he does make a mistake.”

“You can never predict the future, but at the same time, you got a sense that Brandon had big things in front of him,” said Saints head coach and GM Jason McKee. “I believe, with time, he will give himself every opportunity to play at the highest level. He’s got a really good tool-box, in regards to the things he can bring a team. Skating is No. 1 — he’s going to be able to skate at that level. I believe he’ll be able to process the game at that speed. He has a heavy shot and he defends extremely well.

“A lot of guys have asked me, ‘Who do you compare him to?’ and for me, it’s another guy out of the Edmonton area in Jay Bouwmeester — tall, lanky guys who get around the ice extremely well and have that good stick.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever be Jay Bouwmeester, but he’ll be a similar type player. Everyone is looking for that puck-moving defenceman who can skate and defend, and that’s what Brandon is.”

Thanks to his superb skating abilities, some folks in Calgary have wondered if Hickey — currently carrying about 195 lbs. on his 6-foot-2 frame — could come from the same mold as TJ Brodie, by far the Flames’ best defenceman so far this season.

Button was quick to nip that in the bud.

“The comparison is based on his skating. It’s not a fair comparison based on the rest of his game,” Button said. “At the same age, TJ was way more offensive ... Brandon is more physical.

“He will throw a big open-ice hit once a game. He’ll catch you with your head down, and you don’t see that with TJ. TJ is strong and he’s strong one-on-one, but he’s a thinker and a puck-mover and a skater. I don’t see that comparison at all, except that they’re both fabulous skaters.”