[TheScorpion]

As promised... here are my takeaways from today.

Brian Elliott looked fantastic, both aesthetically and tactically. His solid red pads stand out exceptionally well on the ice. Their quality rivals that of his play, which was top-notch today. He made all the right saves, and had good positioning. He looked like the two-time All-Star that he is out there. Jon Gillies was outstanding today. He'll be a future star in the NHL. Should one of Elliott or Chad Johnson -- who also looked great, by the way -- go down during the season, he'll be a more-than-capable fill-in. Nick Schneider didn't factor in much, with the three-goalie rotation.

The PTOs looked mediocre, on average. Nicklas Grossmann had trouble with puck control and skating. Rasmus Andersson is a better, younger Grossmann equivalent. Nicklas didn't look like more than a 7th-8th defenseman out there. On the other hand, Chris Higgins looked somewhat revitalized. He had an extra jump in his stride and contributed effectively in all of his drills. Jamie Devane was mostly invisible, as was Luke Adam -- with the exception of one play (mentioned above) where he bowled into Elliott. Matt Frattin showed some flash and skill, but will probably top out as a 13th forward in the NHL this season.

New acquisition Alex Chiasson was noticeable at times. He seems to be all right at driving plays, but doesn't play overly physical. Chiasson seemed more like a solid 3rd-line option than an effective complement to 13 and 23 out there. Speaking of 3rd-liners, Lance Bouma and Matt Stajan both played with grit today, the former more so. Bouma looked quite motivated out there, and here's hoping he can regain his form in 2016-17 after a disastrous last season. Stajan looked like... Matt Stajan. He'll likely keep his 4th-line centre role for the coming season, though he could slot in on the 3rd-line at left wing to create room for Freddie Hamilton to pivot the bottom trio.

Dougie Hamilton and Tyler Wotherspoon looked fine. Dougie should mesh with Gulutzan's systems nicely, while Wotherspoon looks to have taken a step forward. Unless the Flames sign one of Kris Russell or Jakub Nakladal, Wotherspoon could serve as a quality 6th-7th defenseman in 2016-17.

Hunter Shinkaruk looked fine. He made some poor passes, but otherwise, he looked like a potential top-six forward out there. Shinkaruk could definitely slot into a prominent role on the big club in 2016-17

Everyone's favourite Development Camp star, Eetu Tuulola, looked good. He's a big tenacious winger with a surprising dose of finesse in his game. Bold prediction: he could be on Monahan and Gaudreau's right side in a couple of years.

Mikkel Aagaard, Ryan Lomberg, Dillon Dube, and Emile Poirier were all mostly unremarkable. Of the four, Poirier stood out the most. The former first-rounder still has some upside in his game, and he looked good today. It'll be interesting to see if he can enjoy a bounce-back year next season.

Mark Jankowski was awesome out there. He looks great, just like he did at Development Camp. While I'm still not convinced that he'll be the best player from 2012, he'll be an NHLer for sure.

Matt Tkachuk is a blue-rare blue-chip prospect. He needs time, but he could play the whole season if needed. My bet: he won't. Nine games for sure, but after that... doubtful. Still, he looks amazing. Great vision, great shot, great hands, great passing... he's great.

Matthew Phillips is a Johnny Gaudreau lookalike out there. Blazing speed, great hands, shifty on the puck... the Flames may have hit it out of the park on this one.

Speaking of small guys... Andrew Mangiapane is a treat to watch. A super smart player with quick wheels. Very effective offensively, could be a mainstay on the Flames soon.

Troy Brouwer and Sam Bennett stuck together out there, and looked great. Brouwer was smiling all the time... he seems to love it here. Pretty good shot and skating, but he brings most of all a commanding veteran presence. Bennett has huge upside and potential, and Brouwer could be the perfect complement for that.

Austin Carroll looked so-so. He could play on the fourth line in the future, but his skating isn't at an NHL level yet. Of course, neither is Matt Tkachuk's, really.

Brayden Burke, man! Burke was really impressive out there. Oozes skill. He'll get a contract, no doubt about it. One of the best players on the ice today.

Hunter Smith is really tall.

Keegan Kanzig was super out there. Like Smith, he's really tall, but he has the added benefit of being able to skate closer to an NHL level. I had my doubts about Kanzig when he was drafted, but he looks like he could actually be an NHLer sooner rather than later. Stepan Falkovsky's play rubbed me the same way.

Oliver Kylington is a heck of a skater, and has great hockey sense. The Swede was the Flames' most impressive U20 defenseman today. He'll be the #3 defenseman for years to come. Book it.

Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano both looked excellent out there. They're veterans -- they know the drill, and it showed. Wideman looked reinvigorated out there, a good sign following a disastrous 2015-16 campaign. As for Giordano, well, what is there left to say? He's an unbelievable talent, as is T.J. Brodie. These guys, plus Deryk Engelland, all looked as if they're in mid-season form.

New acquisition Linden Vey was decent today, but considering his competition, he'll need to take another step to have a chance to play regularly wearing the Flaming C in 2016-17. He needs to improve his speed, but he has good vision and a fine shot.

Most of Team C was unremarkable. This includes Brandon Bollig (great shot, but still mostly just a fighter), Micheal Ferland (didn't see him much, so not a great read), Garnet Hathaway (still a good bet for the 13th forward position), and Brett Pollock (of course he's still developing, and if he pans out, what a great return the Flames got for Russell).

Mason McDonald looked fine out there, but he'll need to make big strides in 2016-17 to have a hope of cracking an NHL roster. As for David Rittich, the worst goaltender at Development Camp? He looked much, much better today. Could be a serviceable NHL backup in the distant future.

Did I miss anyone you wanted to hear about? Let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this. I'll be at the Saddledome again tomorrow, so stay tuned!