[Signing] Flames sign Gaudreau and Arnold. Will be available for Sunday's game against Canucks

[DionTheDman]

I wonder if his parents made it out here too to see him debut.

[StrykerSteve]

Yes they did, Calgary flew them all out.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by DionTheDman

I wonder if his parents made it out here too to see him debut.

I believe the parents flew with them

[getbak]

It was an 8 seat plane (Johnny mentioned it in his scrum today). If Conroy, Hanlon, a camera operator and a reporter (Torie Peterson, I believe) were all on the flight, that only leaves room for two others with Bill and Johnny (unless they made the camera operator and reporter fly back commercial).

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

GM's don't draft, scouts do. GM's can have influence on 1st round picks if they want but a lot of them leave it up to their scouting department.

Except when your Brian Burke

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by T@T

Except when your Brian Burke

Proof?

[Trailer Fire]

FDW has his own personal Brian Burke? That must be exhaustive.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Pretty certain Feaster made such a mandate along with Weisbrod. There are interviews with said quotes. don't ask me to find them though. But he did also say he will put his trust in the scouting department to do their jobs and make the best list possible.

Which mandate? The one about "hockey smarts", or the "picking from the list regardless of size and position"?

Found a good article on this:

http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/06/23...r-hockey-sense

“We began to change what we were looking for even before that,” said Button, the club’s amateur scouting director. “I know a lot of people give (former GM) Darryl (Sutter) a lot of grief but not for his hockey sense, for the way he treated people. But he recognized after 2006 the game was changing. From when we took Mikael Backlund, it’s been progressing.”

Seems Feaster and Weisbrod (in particular) helped to refine it, but it was something the Flames were emphasizing already.

And now, with the arrival of GM Jay Feaster and assistant GM/manager of player personnel John Weisbrod, things are even more refined.
“When Weis came in, there was already continuity, and he’s hammered it home,” Button said. “We’ve embraced the strategy and how we’re doing things, and there’s a thread around hockey sense and character and skill, moreso than skating and size.”

Really like this tidbit by Button in this article. Emphasizes to me how important hockey sense is (and makes me believe that Reinhart is indeed rated first on their list as he apparently has by far the most hockey sense in this upcoming draft apparently).

“Hockey sense allows a guy with less of a skill-set in a different area to still succeed,” Button said, noting the likes of Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Craig Janney and Andrew Brunette succeeded without being top skaters. “If you’re a smart player and can’t skate, you can compensate. But if you’re a dumb player and are fast, you’ll only be skating circles.
“Hockey sense can limit them.”

Really recommend this article to everyone who is curious about the evolution of the Flames' drafting philosophy. It seems to be working for them in the past few drafts.


I really wanted Button gone years ago, but the more I hear him talk, the more I really hope Burke keeps him on in the long run. I read somewhere that Burke really likes and/or respects Todd Button - but I couldn't find it.

[sun]

I am really excited for Billy Arnold. We have a lot of guys in the system right now that project to be solid third liners, but I think Bill fits the bill better than most. Smart, decent size, likes his own side of the ice, good at faceoffs, etc. I think we're more likely to see him up with the big club than Johnny.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Proof?

Watch in 2 months.

[sun]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I really wanted Button gone years ago, but the more I hear him talk, the more I really hope Burke keeps him on in the long run. I read somewhere that Burke really likes and/or respects Todd Button - but I couldn't find it.

How many GMs has Button worked for in Calgary now? I feel like with each interview he must say "here are the guys we (Feaster/Sutter/C.Button/Coates?) picked... and here are the guys I wanted to pick..." Why else would he still be around for so long?

I like our last four drafts, but they probably always look good until a few years have passed.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by sun

How many GMs has Button worked for in Calgary now? I feel like with each interview he must say "here are the guys we (Feaster/Sutter/C.Button/Coates?) picked... and here are the guys I wanted to pick..." Why else would he still be around for so long?

I like our last four drafts, but they probably always look good until a few years have passed.

This is a piece our own Freeway wrote almost two years ago on the subject. Holds up to today, the reasons he gives make sense.
http://flamesnation.ca/2012/5/14/the...-of-tod-button

[sureLoss]

Great article on the behind the scenes of the signing:
http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/04/12...-flames-debuts

Not long after the Eagles suffered a 5-4 loss to the Union College Dutchmen in Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinal, Conroy received assurances Arnold was ready to talk contract with the Calgary-based club.

The post-game feedback from Gaudreau’s adviser — the NCAA scoring champion is represented by Lewis Gross, Conroy’s agent during his own playing days — wasn’t necessarily negative, but the Eagles star hadn’t decided to turn pro, either.

Just after the clock struck midnight Thursday night/Friday morning, Gross called Conroy to deliver the good news — Johnny Hockey would skip his senior season. He wanted a seat on the jet.

There was just one catch — the Gaudreaus wanted to keep it quiet until after Friday’s Hobey Baker Award ceremony in Philadelphia, when the offensive whiz from nearby Carneys Point, N.J., climbed onto the stage in front of family members, friends and teammates and accepted the hockey equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

“They wanted to make it about the college and how much BC has meant to Johnny, and we wanted to be very respectful to his wishes and the family’s wishes,” Conroy said.

“I give a ton of credit to the Arnolds, because if I signed a contract, I would like to tell everybody. Billy was very respectful, and so was his family. They said, ‘Let’s do this the right way.’ ”

and according to the article the parents were on the private jet

the article says the jet really impressed Arnold and Gaudreau.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by sun

How many GMs has Button worked for in Calgary now? I feel like with each interview he must say "here are the guys we (Feaster/Sutter/C.Button/Coates?) picked... and here are the guys I wanted to pick..." Why else would he still be around for so long?

I like our last four drafts, but they probably always look good until a few years have passed.

If you follow the drafts every year closely, you do start to see that evolution happening, and you are starting to realize that the 'potential' is starting to translate more.

I think it is safe to say that gone are the days that we get excited about Boyd. Heck, we didn't get very down over Howse (50 goal scorer) and even Wahl (looked like he was poised to crack the lineup as a center, which was desperately needed, and he was a GREAT legitimate prospect to have in any organization until he got his bell rung severely).

I can't remember the Flames being this deep in legitimate prospects since the 80's. It isn't just the 'hype train' that makes me feel it.

Want evidence? Sutter for a season was a bit too far ahead of the curve. He decided one year that it would be for the best if the Heat focused on having their actual prospects on the team being the core of that team, rather than stocking it with career AHL'ers and having the prospects fill the gaps around them. What happened? Terrible, terrible team from what I remember.

This year, who is essentially the 'core' of the Heat team? What are the players that are really pushing that team? How are the Heat doing? Did you notice a huge drop-off when they recalled a number of prospects up? Do you see the difference?

Then you look at guys on the Flames now - Brodie and Backlund. Gaudreau - even if he 'fails', look at what he accomplished thus far - that's very good drafting. Reinhart, Wotherspoon, Granlund, Bouma, Ortio, etc - they have all looked like they belong in the NHL, or are on the cusp of it. Baertschi looks like he is on the cusp and back on track.

You have to give the development program two thumbs up as well - Byron looks like a legitimate NHL'er now. Brodie was not only a good draft pick, but he developed VERY well in the AHL in the Flames' org. Bouma took some years, but I consider him an NHL'er now.

The more you look into it, the more difficult it becomes to remain negative on the Flames' drafting and development program. Sure, they haven't proved to be turning out superstars at the moment, but you can't simply take the stance on "Show me first, then I might believe it". They are proving it as we speak, bit by bit, by getting more and more drafted prospects into the NHL. You like the last 4 drafts for a reason, and I think I just more or less accurately summarized your reasons there. Look back at the 4 drafts before that (and for 4 year segments as whole) - and remember what you felt about them. Players would bust way sooner. They aren't 'busting' any longer - not at the rate you have come to expect from the Flames, and that is a huge difference.

Want to know why I feel the Flames are better positioned for a faster turn-around than the Oilers? Just look at the OKC Barons, and compare them to the Heat. Then compare the individuals on each roster. Flames are building it really, really well, and in my opinion, Button has been at (or very near) the heart of that I would say.

As for Button surviving so many GMs - I don't know why exactly. I can't answer that.

As for Button not drafting enough NHL players in the past - perhaps it had a lot to do with the scouting budget at the time? Flames had one of the smallest budgets and near the bottom in terms of number of scouts employed. Maybe he simply wasn't very good back then, but has been learning and find-tuning his craft? Maybe past GMs took more control? Maybe it was a combination of everything?

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by getbak

It was an 8 seat plane (Johnny mentioned it in his scrum today). If Conroy, Hanlon, a camera operator and a reporter (Torie Peterson, I believe) were all on the flight, that only leaves room for two others with Bill and Johnny (unless they made the camera operator and reporter fly back commercial).

From the article SureLoss posted:

Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane, were also on board Friday’s evening flight to Calgary and will be at Rogers Arena to watch their son make his NHL debut.
Ditto for Mr. and Mrs. Arnold, Kirk and David.

Looks like Torie and camera guy (Mitch?) got to sit in coach on the way back

[nik-]

It also may have not exactly been an 8 seat plane.

[Inferno]

Just found a cheap(er) ticket for tomorrow's game. Looks like I'm seeing Johnny and Arnold's debut in person.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Really like this tidbit by Button in this article. Emphasizes to me how important hockey sense is (and makes me believe that Reinhart is indeed rated first on their list as he apparently has by far the most hockey sense in this upcoming draft apparently).

Just because he may have the highest hockey sense doesn't mean he's automatically #1 on our list. They still rank things like competitiveness, character, skating and size to varying degrees. And by all accounts Bennett, Ekblad, Dal Colle and Draisaitl have quite high hockey sense as well.

I think Reinhart could easily be #3 on our list behind Bennett/Ekblad. Bennett's competitiveness and grittiness could have been the tie-breaker.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Just because he may have the highest hockey sense doesn't mean he's automatically #1 on our list. They still rank things like competitiveness, character, skating and size to varying degrees. And by all accounts Bennett, Ekblad, Dal Colle and Draisaitl have quite high hockey sense as well.

I think Reinhart could easily be #3 on our list behind Bennett/Ekblad. Bennett's competitiveness and grittiness could have been the tie-breaker.

He could be 1, I think he likely is. Personally I think he's the best shot to reach his potential of any of those three.

[Caged Great]

Good Hockey sense does help players that otherwise are mediocre at the time of their draft overcome their deficiencies. Gustav Nyquist is a great example of this. He was not a very good player when he was drafted, but the way he anticipated the plays allowed his good passing abilities to be utilized and he eventually put it all together.