QOTD: Who has been your most pleasant surprise this season?

[mkd_087]

Jooris for me as well. When it comes to "surprise" factor he wins. I didn't even know of Jooris until pre-season. Safe to say we already had expectations for Johnny and he's of course lived up to them. Jooris made an absolute statement with his play and continues to show why he should stay. Finally Calgary is getting to have these experiences with their rookies. Truly you could likely vote for every option on this poll...because anything more than the McDavid sweepstakes has been a pleasant surprise for this team.

[GioforPM]

I said Bouma, but Jooris was pretty shocking since he was so off my radar. Also Brodie's quantum leap.

Gio? I thought he was Norris calibre last year, and he just missed Team Canada.
Monahan? I had a feeling he'd carry on. A sophomore jinx would be too non-boring.
Johnny? He had a bit of hype. Did I think he'd be this good? No, but I was ready to be wrong.
Wideman is as first advertised, and I liked him OK his first year here. Glencross taking on the shutdown role? Hadn't really thought of it that way. Hiller has played like I exected. Hudler and Russell too.

[Red Ice Player]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

While I don't disagree about him having all more potential, let's give him a full year as a first pairing defenseman before we call him the second coming if a first ballot hall of famer...

I'm not predicting HOF but the parallels are there to see. Neids is the comparison that springs to mind, same size, same style of play, and same unbelievable skating and stamina. Our prolific offence from the blueline is the number one reason that the Flames defy their advanced stats mediocrity. The idiots who keep tossing the unsustainable label at the Flames need to stop reading stats and start watching a few Flames' games.

[CsInMyBlood]

I went with Johnny Gaudreau.

Thing is I could have easily gone with Jooris, Monahan, any of our top 4 D or Bouma.

So nice that the Flames this year have so many pleasant surprises throughout the line up.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Tough question, but for me the biggest surprise has been our offence from the back end and their overall play. Just last season most people would have placed our defense in the lower tier of the league. Really the only changes have been the subtraction of Butler and additions of 6/7 guys in Engelland and Diaz. Everthing else stayed the same. So what changed?

Giordano is healthy.

The moment something happens to him, our season ends.

[Jacks]

I'll admit to being a doubter. I didn't think Gadreau could make the jump straight to the NHL, I thought he would spend most of the year in Addy Glens.

[Obsidian]

Bouma was already a good 2-way player. You should've worded it around his offensive game, which has been much improved.

I am not all that surprised by Gaudreau because his play the past couple seasons in NCAA and international tournaments suggested he was going to be something special.

Monahan doesn't have a pulse and is a pretty devoted learner so it's not incredibly surprising that he took a step forward instead of backwards.

So it had to be Jooris. He's been a great surprise.

[CSharp]

I think the poll should be multiple choice since the team as a whole has been amazing this year as compared to the previous 5 years.

[Huntingwhale]

Also have to mentioned how surprising it is to have done so well within our division against Pacific division opponents. The big bad pacific division. Big times like SJ, LA, ANA, PHX were supposed to pummel us every game. Our team was one of the smallest in the league. We got pushed around all the time last year. We were supposed to get beat down and out worked every game. Instead we sit at whatever ridiculous record we have against them and that is the #1 reason we are in playoff spot. I thought us being in the pacific would be our undoing. Instead it looks like most of our division is on the downswing right when we are rising up.

[Nme-Territory]

For me it has to be Jooris. There may be surprises that have bigger impacts (Gio, Monny, Johnny)... but what they are accomplishing was always, in my mind, in the realm of possibility.

But for Jooris to have the year he's been having, I guarantee nobody predicted this*.




*Guarantees are not guaranteed.

[_Q_]

A lot of good stories this season, but I went with Jooris since I had no idea who he was before and then he came in and completely surprised us by making the team and playing well.

[jg13]

Voted Monahan.

Out of every player in the 2013 draft I think it's safe to say Monahan is having the best year. Continues to play top minutes against the other teams top line and usually comes out on top. He's improved on so much including face offs, puck possession and shooting. When we drafted Bennett I thought "Great we will have 1 of the 2 turn out to be a #1C" and now i'm confident we will have two #1Cs in the next couple years.

[Enoch Root]

The fact that there are so many is probably the defining description of this season.

Brodie's progression has been fantastic to witness, but I wouldn't say it's surprising - I have been a big advocate for a long time.

Similarly, I was one of the blind homers predicting that Gaudreau would get over 50 pts (the only reason I didn't say 60 was I knew I would get roasted). So, it's been awesome, but not overly surprising.

Some surprise for me with Monahan, but in some ways not really, as he has shown the leadership and maturity from day 1. His progression continues on inexorably.

No surprise with Giordano.

So I chose Jooris (also thought about Bouma). Not as impactful as the guys previously mentioned, but a complete surprise and absolutely found money.

In a year of endless fell-good stories, this one came out of nowhere.

[ComixZone]

Gaudreau proving he can play his game at the NHL level may be one of the most significant things to happen to this organization. Easily the biggest "good thing" to happen since the Kipper trade.

[goodyear]

Jooris for sure. #86 looks good out there...hope Burke doesn't make him change.

Honourable mention: "Thanks" Lance Bouma.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Bob Hartley getting everything he can out of this team has been amazing to me.

[GreenLantern]

Same as many, I thought Gaudreau would step up and have a decent season but mostly just spend the year adjusting. I was very wrong. 50+ Games in as well and he doesn't look to be slowing down, so much for that theory.

[bubbsy]

Went with Johnny Gaudreau.

All the questions on whether he would eventually sign... then the endless questions about his size, and stating the competition he's excelled against can't be compared to the NHL and that his game won't translate. As a flames fan, who watched nothing of the kid before he got here, there was just blind, wishful hope that he defy the odds.

So him having the kind of season he is having was a fantasy all flames fans have thought about so it's not as shocking as the others (gio leading the league in points from a dman, brodie's a league +/- leader, Jooris having the impact he has had) but is in my opinion the single individual acheivement that puts the biggest smile on my face about this year's flames.

[GGG]

I went with Gio,

He had been alternating between really good and good for a while now and I had thought that last year was as good as he was going to get and would fall off slightly. Him taking his play to Norris caliber from top pairing guy was a surprise for me and to be the reason we are where we are.

Now Brodie growing as a defensement might also be part of how good gio looks right now but we are only a season or so removed from "Jordano" not being as good as Giordano and it looking like he had plateued.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Giordano is healthy.

The moment something happens to him, our season ends.

Why in the hell would you ever say this.