[News Roundup] News for September 16, 2014

[MissTeeks]

Some good articles today now that more players are around:

Hiller looking for fresh start with Flames after recent highs and lows

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/...325/story.html

In addition to enjoying quality time with his wife Karolina and their newborn daughter Noelia at their off-season home in Bern, Switzerland, Hiller found time to make a two-hour trip to nearby Verbier to attend a goalie camp run by Francois Allaire.
“I was actually at goalie camp and was home for a bit because my wife just came out of hospital with the little girl,” recalled Hiller, who had to make a return trip to the hospital on July 17 to have his appendix removed. “I wasn’t feeling a hundred per cent and saw a doctor and he goes, ‘We probably better cut it out before it gets worse.’
“It kind of came a little out of nowhere.”

Hiller also experienced a tough time at the end of last season with the Ducks, who opted to give the majority of work in net to rookie Frederik Andersen, 24, before falling further down the depth chart in the playoffs behind 20-year-old John Gibson.
“I actually thought I had a great year up to the Olympic break and even after,” said Hiller, who went 29-13-7 with a 2.48 GAA and a .911 save percentage. “It was a little frustrating there at the end with not getting to play a whole lot. I’m definitely excited to hopefully be able to play my best again and feel like everybody has confidence in me and trust in me. I think it’s key for a goalie to be able to play at your best.”
He’s also not afraid of a little competition for the starting job with Karri Ramo, who had the exact same save percentage as Hiller last year to go with a 16-15-4 record and a 2.65 GAA in his first season with the Flames.
“I think he’s a good player, a good goalie,” Hiller said. “At the end, you’re playing in the NHL. It’s not like there aren’t any players or goalies around that can’t play these days. There’s always competition.”

Knight ready to compete for full-time spot with Flames

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/...308/story.html

Heading into this season, Knight hopes to earn a roster spot with the Calgary Flames in order to create many more memorable moments.
“Last year was a good experience transitioning from college to pro,” said Knight prior to teeing it up Tuesday morning for the 34th annual Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic at Country Hills Golf and Country Club. “Getting the time I was able to up here was really important just to kind of get that taste. It makes you want to be a full-timer this year.”

“Hopefully coming into camp here, I can just do what I need to do to impress the coaches and management and the rest is out of my hands,” said Knight, who was named MVP of the 2007 Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey tournament when he played for the Strathmore-based UFA Bisons. “I’d like to obviously kind of make a mark for myself and impress upon the coaches that I can play a good full-ice game in all three zones and hopefully really push for a roster spot come opening night.”
And the Calgary coaching staff is looking forward to seeing whether the former Okotoks Oiler can live up to his words.
“He’s got all the tools,” noted assistant coach Martin Gelinas. “He’s a good skater. He’s got a good shot. He’s a centreman that can take draws and win draws. Everything is there for him. He’s shown nice progression, so we’re excited to see him at camp.”

“You look at the guys they’ve brought in and the guys they have returning, it’s going to be really competitive,” said Knight, who turned 24 on Sept. 10. “There’s not many spots open and there’s a lot of guys working for those spots. I think it’s good though. It’s a healthy competition where it’s going to push guys to be better. It’s definitely a good problem to have for training camp.”

Calgary Flames prospect Sam Bennett warmly welcomed by veteran Dennis Wideman

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/09/16...dennis-wideman

Sam Bennett is about to head into his first NHL training camp alongside all the veterans.
Wide-eyed? You bet.
But Bennett, the Calgary Flames’ first-round draft choice this summer, is thanking defenceman Dennis Wideman for making him feel a little more prepared for it after they spent time together during a high-end training camp held in Colorado a couple of weeks ago.
“I went golfing with him one day, and I hung out with him a lot,” Bennett said. “He’s a guy that really has reached out to me and really helped me prepare myself for camp and what to expect. Definitely, it was nice chatting with him.
“Just telling me what camp’s going to be like and just little things, like how to act in the dressing room being a rookie and what to expect from the coaches and that kind of stuff. Definitely, he’s been a huge help for that part of it.”

Wideman walked away from that time spent with Bennett duly impressed.
“I knew he was our high pick, first-round pick, and a young kid, and I can only imagine what it would have been like if I was 18 and coming into that situation with those players,” Wideman said Tuesday before teeing off at the club’s annual charity golf tournament. “It was good to see him there, and I think he did great,”

Wideman says Bennett acquitted himself among the slew of NHLers.
“It’s a short stretch — we’re only on the ice for a little bit — but from what I saw, I think he’s got a lot of speed and a lot of skill to go with it,” Wideman said. “He had a little edge. He battled. He wasn’t afraid to get into the areas, and in a scrimmage against those types of players, he was battling in there and not shy. A lot of people in that situation, going into the corner with some of those guys, kind of lay off, but he wasn’t like that.
“He was aggressive, and I was extremely impressed.”

Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving gives thumbs up to Young Stars Classic

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/09/16...-stars-classic

Treliving, the Flames GM, returned to the Stampede City just as impressed with some of the players who have received less limelight.
“You have a pretty good idea of these players, but to see them in game action, see them in a competitive environment, see them moving around, all that stuff, is great,” Treliving said Tuesday as he readied for the club’s annual charity golf tournament.
“There was very few guys that didn’t show well, which is good. Obviously, the big headline guys get a lot of the attention, but I thought people that don’t get talked about as much showed well, too.
“I thought Austin Carroll was pretty good. I was really impressed with Turner Elson. I liked a lot of defencemen, but (Brett) Kulak, (Pat) Sieloff and (Ryan) Culkin were good.
“The guys you’d expect to play well did, but there were a lot of guys that showed well.”

Players hit the ice the next day at WinSport and kick off pre-season action with split-squad games against the Edmonton Oilers in both Calgary and the provincial capital.
He says Bennett, the club’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, will be fine after suffering a “tweak” in his groin during Monday’s tournament finale.
Meanwhile, defenceman Eric Roy will miss time due to a shoulder injury.
“It looks like nothing surgical (is needed),” Treliving said. “But it looks like it’ll be a couple of weeks,”

Coming soon for many of the other players who were in Penticton is that chance to take the step from prospect to NHLer, even if it would seem big-league spots are at a premium with so many players inked to one-way contracts.
“We’ve got openings,” Treliving insisted. “I said all along we wanted to add some depth, but it’s not to squeeze out our young guys. I told them we’re looking for guys to muscle their way onto the roster.”

God love you, Brian Burke:

[Gaskal]

"I don't get it. There's no fighting. There's no hitting. And I already know how to swear, so..."

Man, Burke is getting right up there with Sutter in terms of quality quotes.

[djsFlames]

Even Hartley can provide a good quote every so often ("porcupine at the balloon party")

Treliving needs to step it up in the humour department. My biggest complaint about his GM occupancy so far.

[AC]

I love that McGrattan is rocking the mohawk now.

[BigRed]

Not really sure why Hiller is here other than to eat up cap space. We're rebuilding, and Ramo has show himself to be a reasonable starter for a rebuilding team. Do they just want to push him a little?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Not really sure why Hiller is here other than to eat up cap space. We're rebuilding, and Ramo has show himself to be a reasonable starter for a rebuilding team. Do they just want to push him a little?

The team needs two goaltenders, and management probably feels that Ortio is not quite ready for the NHL full time—he is still very young, as goaltenders go.

Furthermore, regardless of what you or I or any other fan thinks is the right way to follow the course of action set for this team, management has been very clear that they intend to ice a competitive team that plays to win. Hiller helps the Flames to compete and to win.

[Stupid]

That was an entertaining piece of video. I laughed hard at Burkie's comments, but it was also nice to see our new goalie, Hiller as well as Bollig. Always good to see McGrats, Gio, Smid etc. talk in a non-sports bit and seeing them more relaxed and stay away from the standard hockey-talk.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Hiller seems very affable. Hope he has a good year. Hate to see nice guys struggle.

[edslunch]

“You look at the guys they’ve brought in and the guys they have returning, it’s going to be really competitive,” said Knight, who turned 24 on Sept. 10. “There’s not many spots open and there’s a lot of guys working for those spots. I think it’s good though. It’s a healthy competition where it’s going to push guys to be better. It’s definitely a good problem to have for training camp.”

“We’ve got openings,” Treliving insisted. “I said all along we wanted to add some depth, but it’s not to squeeze out our young guys. I told them we’re looking for guys to muscle their way onto the roster.”

I'm really curious to see how this turns out. There are a number of prospects who are in a position to make a good case.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I didn't know Wideman took the time to hang out with Bennett in Colorado. Makes you happy with the veterans we have, who look like they really care about every player/rookie in the organization, regardless of age.

[formulate]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Not really sure why Hiller is here other than to eat up cap space. We're rebuilding, and Ramo has show himself to be a reasonable starter for a rebuilding team. Do they just want to push him a little?

I believe most here were in agreement that the best thing for Ortio would be spending a year as the starter with the baby Flames, at least until an injury occurred. I had originally thought they would sign a solid backup (Chad Johnson, for example) for Ramo in Calgary. Why I really like the signing of Hiller is that first of all it creates competition starting right away at training camp, which can only be good for both goalies. I believe (purely based on salaries) that Hiller will start as the 1A guy, but hopefully there is a strong push made by both to be the true #1. The second reason is that now we potentially have a tradeable asset. If both play well, Ramo could be flipped at the deadline for a 3rdish round pick. If Ramo plays spectacularly and Hiller okay, we could re-sign Ramo and trade Hiller either at the deadline or during the offseason. Nothing wrong with an additional decent asset on a not-horrible contract.

[Arsonist22]

Originally Posted by formulate

I believe most here were in agreement that the best thing for Ortio would be spending a year as the starter with the baby Flames, at least until an injury occurred. I had originally thought they would sign a solid backup (Chad Johnson, for example) for Ramo in Calgary. Why I really like the signing of Hiller is that first of all it creates competition starting right away at training camp, which can only be good for both goalies. I believe (purely based on salaries) that Hiller will start as the 1A guy, but hopefully there is a strong push made by both to be the true #1. The second reason is that now we potentially have a tradeable asset. If both play well, Ramo could be flipped at the deadline for a 3rdish round pick. If Ramo plays spectacularly and Hiller okay, we could re-sign Ramo and trade Hiller either at the deadline or during the offseason. Nothing wrong with an additional decent asset on a not-horrible contract.

Good post. I also think that having solid goal goaltending will help the defensive prospects in the system as they will be able to play their game, instead of worrying that every small mistake (which will happen while they learn to play at NHL level) will lead to a goal against. There's no way you can play with confidence if you think the guy in net couldn't stop a beach ball. Hiller is an upgrade over Berra and should allow everyone in front of him to play more positively.

[MissTeeks]

[Dajazz]

Glencross is incredibly boring. Like watching a glacier move boring.