Flames Development Camp July 10th - 16th

[SuperMatt18]

Kanzig was maybe the most impressive in my opinion, based on expectations heading in.

Good skater for his size, bomb of a shot, positionally sound, and of course a giant.

He didn't look out of place with Sieloff, Wotherspoon, and Ramage and those guys are our older, more NHL/AHL ready d-men.

Certainly not the big, slow, lumbering d-man some made him out to be. Could a steal.

[Husky]

Going against the grain but overall no one stood out to me. A few glimpses here and there but no players dominating. I actually though for the most part the hockey was scrambly and very broken. Much to be expected at this stage. The one D that caught me off guard was ramage. The kid has a chance for the nhl this season. Kanzig is a project. Needs a lot of work. He's big but not much else for developed tools. Wasn't great with the puck and like the scouting report says...takes way too long to shoot the puck.

[Husky]

Also the other guy I liked was penner I believe 93. Very thick looking and finishing checks. Was constantly going to the next. Just needs to work on his accekeration.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

I find it awesome that despite all the great center prospects that came out who were the obvious highlights of the camp, Granlund has come out and looked as good as any of them (at least offensively). Slowly coming from the decisively worst group of centers (we didn't even have 4 nhlers at one point) to one of the brightest and deepest pools in the league.

Trading for Corban Knight and drafting a potential NHL ready guy in Sean Monahan goes a long way to improving that.

It's hard to judge anything from these camps but this is a good collection of smart hockey players the Flames have collected.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by edslunch

I wonder if that is by design. Put Monohan and Gaudreau against your top D as a test for both.

That was my thought too. Knight, Monahan and (if they could talk him out of going back to BC) Gaudreau are probably the 3 forwards who would get a shot at making the team out of camp this year among the guys who haven't spent any time in the NHL yet, so I'm sure the coaches want to see them go up against the best D we've got.

[getbak]

I don't know how tall Hallett is, but at least Johnny's now eye-to-eye with her without skates on.



Also...

[djsFlames]

Yeah, #10 was fantastic today as well.

I'm expecting to see Knight and Backlund in some good healthy competition this season for a top 6 C spot. And if Sean wedges himself in there too, then all the better. If I could have my way, I'd love to see all 3 occupying the top 9 slots.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by getbak

I don't know how tall Hallett is, but at least Johnny's now eye-to-eye with her without skates on.



Also...

So much to love in this post, up to and including George Michael Bluth

[Roof-Daddy]

This being my first opportunity to view Kanzig, it really confirms my belief that the poster "Red John" (IIRC) had a serious axe to grind when giving us his personal scouting report on big Keegan in the initial thread upon his drafting by he Flames.

Basically calling him a big, dumb, useless pylon goon that had no business ever being drafted at all, never mind in the third round. It's obviously early, but it sure seems like that sentiment was waaaaaay off.

[Caged Great]

Kanzig really looks like a solid d-man. He's slowish, but very smart. If he can get some additional quickness, he could be a steal.

[transplant99]

A lot of good showings by guys today....very encouraging.

One thing i have concluded in my viewings though....Patrick Seiloff will, without question, play in the NHL ...and probably for many many years. He isnt a "star" type player, but one of those guys every single team needs on D. He reminds me a whole bunch of Steve Staios actually....and other guys of that mold. Solid pick by Feaster and company.

[nightfx]

Granlund can hang with our top prospects offensively, really underrated by us Flames fans.

[Freddy]

Wow, from what I'm reading here and seeing online, the future team make-up or character sounds really exciting. In 4 years time the Flames are going to be a mix of sleeper European picks (Sven, Granlund, Horak, Backlund if still here), big leadership type CHL guys (Monahan, Wotherspoon, Kanzig), and a heavy serving of the cream of the NCAA (Agostino, Gaudreau, Knight, Hanowski). The 'Schultz' factor concerning our college prospects should be tempered by the fact that the Flames have recruited an allstar team of these Americans and I would anticipate they would be looking forward to playing together to show the world their collective skill. Add Sieloff, Ramage, Breen and Reinhart and this is a pool of guys that look like they could be competitive with the futures best.

Thanks for everybody's observations on Development Camp thus far!

[Calgary4LIfe]

Some surprises for me:

Granlund: I didn't know who would really show up. We all saw his laser of a shot at the WJC, and here it is again. It is more than just a pro shot - it is a really great shot. Nice to see him competing in the corners. If he keeps it up, he will get a call-up on the Flames at some point.

Kanzig: Not so much of a surprise as others have been positively commenting on his game, but I really expected him to get beat often, while making solid plays as well. What I didn't expect was for him to stand out for his really good play. He is a great addition.

Ramage: I haven't got to see much of Ramage at all up until now. I heard his skating was a bit of an issue. Didn't seem to be the case at all - he was really solid out there, and showed a lot of poise and I thought used his skating exceptionally.

Ortio: I thought he was solid. Progressing slowly, but definitely progressing!

Of course Knight, Jankowski, Monahan, Baertschi and Gaudreau all looked solid. Not much to add from what everyone else has been commentating about them.

Also, I couldn't help but notice Penner a lot. I mean, he scored 2 goals, but I just saw him involved all game. I bet he gets signed, which is a bit of a surprise since he has been pretty quiet from the drills.

Oh - and Tim Harrisson! Legit prospect. I had a bit of doubt, but he looks good - especially for being so raw! He will only improve.

[Caged Great]

To me, there are 4 tiers of prospects

Potential Star Players - Gaudreau, Monahan, Gillies, Sven
Potential quality NHLers (top 6/2nd pair) - Sieloff, Wotherspoon, Jankowski, Berra, Ortio, Klimchuk, Agostino, Poirier, Granlund
Potential decent 3rd/4th liners - Knight, Culkin, Kulak, Ramage, Kanzig, Horak, Hanowski, Arnold,Brossoit
Guys that need some/a lot of work to get to the NHL - everyone else.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

To me, there are 4 tiers of prospects

Potential Star Players - Gaudreau, Monahan, Gillies, Sven
Potential quality NHLers (top 6/2nd pair) - Sieloff, Wotherspoon, Jankowski, Berra, Ortio, Klimchuk, Agostino, Poirier, Granlund
Potential decent 3rd/4th liners - Knight, Culkin, Kulak, Ramage, Kanzig, Horak, Hanowski, Arnold,Brossoit
Guys that need some/a lot of work to get to the NHL - everyone else.

I agree with all except Knight, I'd bump him up to second line potential. Glad to see Berra and Granlund make some headway.

[kyuss275]

Certainly a couple of players that are going to have a legit shot on making the big squad.

Most interesting part of the morning was Conroys comment on youngsters over veterans if they are even. Wonder how they will implement that if it goes down? Trades once training camp starts to December have been near impossible in the last couple of years. With the cap going down for this year, i don't see it getting any easier.

[CsInMyBlood]

Some notables to me:

Granlund really stood out, nice goal and nice shootout goal as well. Really showed some high offensive hockey IQ playing along side Sven.

Impressed with Monahan's read of the game. Puck seems to follow him around. Showed multiple times in the scrimmage that he naturally knows where to go and where the puck will be.

Liked Ferland's puck pursuit, the guy showed some good wheels, he will finish his hits and made a nice move in his shootout attempt. Has soft hands. Color me impressed with how he is developing.

There isn't a prospect that is more intriguing to me than Jankowski. Seems so awkward, yet there are flashes of wow throughout the awkwardness. Protects the puck well. Positions himself well. Has a good two way game, skated miles out there today on every shift. Three big strides and he is flying. Crazy how much bigger he looks after one year. A sample of raw talent and size, excited to follow his progress as he gets stronger and refines his game.

Gaudreau was as advertised. Such a shifty skater, heads up player. Seems to have the tools that a small guy would need to survive in the NHL. Love how he goes straight at opponents baiting them to make a move before he makes his. Makes me believe he could turn out to be one of those stories where everyone wonders how he fell to the fourth round when talking about the best of the 2011 draft years from now.

Culkin really stood out to me today, continually made me take notice. I kept seeing a nice pass, or "right in your face" defensive play and he would turn and I would see the number 67 on the jersey. I'd look at my roster sheet and see it was him. By the end of the game I didn't have to look to see who #67 was anymore.

How cool is it that we have SO many exciting prospects to follow now? These kids make me very impatient, I just want to fast forward a couple of years to see what we have.

The cupboard looks great, can't wait to see more from these guys in the prospects tourney.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I agree with all except Knight, I'd bump him up to second line potential. Glad to see Berra and Granlund make some headway.

I don't know if he'd produce enough offensively to justify that. He could very well be that. I was on the fence which category to put him in, and he'll be at least at the very top of the potential 3rd liners for sure.

[Vulcan]

I really liked Granlund. Maybe the only thing holding him back is his size. The listing I found was 5'11" and 172 lbs although I never noticed him being pushed around.

What's up with this Penner guy. Two goals here and he could only score 14 in the AJHL. Big guy though at 6' 3" and 210 lbs. Anybody know what his plans are, is he going on to an American College?