[MissTeeks]

So there is a snag for News Roundups this year. The Herald put a 10 article per month limit on the site this year, so if you don't have a subscription, the links won't work after you read 10 articles.

Dube off to Flames main camp after shining among rookies

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...5-cff39655341a

There were a few hot topics in Calgary on Thursday.

The 2026 Olympic Games plebiscite, the dipping temperatures, a bobcat which was spotted roaming the streets in a neighbourhood in the city’s southeast.

And Dillon Dube.

After two rookie games against the Edmonton Oilers and four days’ worth of practices, it’s clear that the Calgary Flames centre is just heating up during an ongoing fall audition for his first year of professional hockey.

The progress has been steady for the 20-year-old Cochrane resident, who was easily the best player on the ice in Wednesday’s 6-3 rookie-game win over the Edmonton Oilers at Red Deer’s Enmax Centrium. He had two assists, both great set-ups. In Sunday’s 7-3 rookie-game win over the Oilers at the Saddledome, Dube also had a goal and an assist.


Two different games, playing on two different lines.

Same outcomes.

“He’s a player that when he’s on the ice, you’re comfortable as a fan, as a coach and a member of the organization,” said Flames assistant general manager Brad Pascall, who has been monitoring the rookies while general manager Brad Treliving and assistant general manager Craig Conroy are in China. “I think he just continues to show that. He plays a confident game and can play in every situation. Here against his peer groups, he’s shown that.

“Now, they’ll have a couple days off and turn his focus into main camp.”

Dube, after two games, is on a mission to make that choice difficult for the Flames brass.

“I thought I was a lot better in the first game, to be honest,” said the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder who is a left-shot centre. “I didn’t have as many chances as the last game. My linemates (seventh-round pick from 2018 Dimitry Zavgorodniy and Mike McMurtry), clicked really well … (Wednesday) was a lot faster and more like a mid-season game. I didn’t score any goals, but I felt like I was on my game.”

On Wednesday, he made his linemates better, similar to Sunday’s first game when he skated with Mangiapane and Foo and was able to score and nab an assist.

“I feel like playing that way and playing fast helps the team to win,” said Dube who scored 38 goals and 46 assists in 53 Western Hockey League games last year which was likely his final season with the Kelowna Rockets. “Right now, I just wanted to get my feet under me heading into main camp.”

Flames' first practice in China cancelled due to customs delay

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...7-f9c01f812524

SHENZHEN, China — Instead of skating, they were waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

The Calgary Flames’ training-camp trip to China started with an unexpected twist Thursday — their first practice of the season was cancelled because their equipment had yet to clear customs.

The Boston Bruins, their opponents for a pair of pre-season matchups in this far-off market, were stuck playing the same waiting game. Their skate was also scrapped.

“There are always unforeseen issues you have to deal with,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving, chatting with reporters in the lobby of the team hotel in Shenzhen. “So we’ll deal with it, and we’ll move on. It’s nobody’s fault, but we’ll be really eager to go (Friday).

“We’ve said, ‘If we want to have a great year this year, you’re going to have to deal with adversity.’ Well, we’re dealing with it on Day 1. It’s how you react to it, and we’re going to be fine.”

The Flames and Bruins will both practice Friday, now their only prep session for Saturday’s exhibition matinee.

“It’s a curveball, obviously,” summed up Flames superstar Johnny Gaudreau. “It’s your first day of camp, you want to get on the ice with your new teammates, your new coaching staff. But that’s the way it goes.

“No big deal. We’ll put it behind us and use this day to get to know some more of the guys. Just try to use it to our advantage, I guess, and get ready for tomorrow.”

“Obviously, it’s a day that we’re missing of skating together, but you’re still doing things with your teammates — walking around the city, getting to know different players and just hanging out,” Gaudreau said. “Which is important, because we do have a lot of new faces. We need to build some chemistry with those guys and to get comfortable with those guys before we start playing with them.

“So we’re not just going to use it as a day-off. We’re going to get together, do some things together and make the most of it.”

Lanny lends star-power to fan-fest event in Shenzhen

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...6-fe7f79d67d28

So … let’s call it even?

Calgary Flames franchise icon Lanny McDonald made a special appearance at Thursday’s NHL Fan Fest at an outdoor mall in Shenzhen, China, and one man — a self-admitted supporter of the Montreal Canadiens — came prepared.

The autograph-seeker had printed out the famous photo of McDonald with the Stanley Cup hoisted high above his head.

“You broke my heart in 1989,” he told McDonald.

Lanny’s quick reply?

“Well, you broke my heart in 1986,” he said, referencing the Flames’ first meeting with the Habs in the championship series.

Still as popular as ever in Calgary despite being retired for nearly three decades and still a terrific representative for both his sport and city, the 65-year-old McDonald accompanied the Flames to China as an ambassador of sorts.

Flames coach Peters eager to hit the ice as team arrives in China

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...8-d62ae0b6ab81

Prior to departure, Bill Peters had repeatedly stressed that this is, first and foremost, a business trip.

So it should be no surprise that just moments after the Calgary Flames arrived Wednesday night at their hotel in, Shenzhen, China, their new head coach was keen to fast-forward to the next morning and, finally, put his plan into action.

As it turned out, he would have to wait a wee bit longer.

The Flames’ first practice at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center was postponed several hours due to a delay in their equipment being cleared through customs.

“We’ve put a lot of time in to prepare for this trip to China, and now it will finally come to fruition,” Peters said upon Wednesday’s arrival, raring to go despite the grind of a 14-hour flight. “It’s our first day on the ice, and the focus is going to be on O-zone forecheck and O-zone entries. Then we’re going to flood, and we’re going to come back out and spend 30 minutes on specialty teams.

“We have a plan in place for all four practice days.”

That plan was finalized long before they filled their suitcases for this once-in-a-lifetime trip to the opposite side of the globe.

Not only do the Flames have an overhauled staff — Peters, ex of the Carolina Hurricanes, was hired in late April — and a bunch of new faces on the roster, but they’re also facing the unique challenge of running three training-camp groups on two separate continents.

From the dynamic forward duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to the top defence pair of T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano and starting puck-stopper Mike Smith, all of Calgary’s key contributors are together at the O.R.G. China Games, a two-game exhibition set against the Boston Bruins in Shenzhen and Beijing.

Peters and his big-league staff — associate Geoff Ward, assistants Ryan Huska and Martin Gelinas and goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet — are here, too.

The Flames’ travelling troupe has a pair of practices prior to Saturday’s pre-season opener against the Bruins in Shenzhen, then two more prep sessions before a game Wednesday in Beijing.

Those on-ice workouts will provide the first glimpse into Peters’ approach and the identity he’s hoping to create for a crew that underachieved last winter, costing former head coach Glen Gulutzan his job.

“Out of our staff, they can expect an organized staff. They’re going to see a staff that knows what they want and there’s going to be a certain style of play that will be noticeable once we get through training camp and it’s the regular season,” Peters promised. “The system play will take a little bit. There will be some communication and some conversation from players. They understand there is no such thing as a bad question when you’re changing coaches, so if you’re unsure, make sure you ask.

“And then we want them to play. We don’t want them to have to think a whole bunch. We want them to be able to play and play hard and play fast.”