Roger Millions @RogMillions
#BWK Defenceman Eric Roy has signed an ATO with #Flames. Former #Flame draft pick was not signed by team, but gets another shot
ATO = Amateur Try Out
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to sureLoss For This Useful Post:
I'm not against it but I don't see the point. He's at the bottom of a mountain of prospects already under contract. Where would he even play? ECHL? I really don't see how there's room. He will have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract as it likely means he's forcing the Flames to make a trade to fit him in. If nothing else, I suppose this will make camp a little more competitive which is a positive.
I'm not against it but I don't see the point. He's at the bottom of a mountain of prospects already under contract. Where would he even play? ECHL? I really don't see how there's room. He will have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract as it likely means he's forcing the Flames to make a trade to fit him in. If nothing else, I suppose this will make camp a little more competitive which is a positive.
I think you raised the key point. He'll have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract.
The thing with Roy though, is that if he plays to like a man possessed and starts hitting his potential, his upside is extremely high. Top pairing defenceman high.
But he's got a long way to go. Low risk, high reward. I like the move.
__________________
"OOOOOOHHHHHHH those Russians" - Boney M
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to killer_carlson For This Useful Post:
Agree that it's low risk, high reward. Roy wasn't qualified mainly due to being poor defensively, but the guy scores a TON of points for a defenseman and has throughout junior. If his defensive game hasn't improved, perhaps they can give him a shot at forward (not that the forward position is any less clogged up).
Eric Roy is a 20 year old. To put that into perspective, at his age, Kenney Morrison was just starting his college career.
Since the Flames now fully own and control their ECHL team, developing a kid like this on AHL money in a minor league that's at least comparable to college hockey could yield an NHLer, even if it takes a long time.
Some guys do take longer to develop. Johnny Boychuk was drafted back in 2002 and didn't have an NHL rookie season until 2010. Jake Muzzin was drafted in 2007, played his two years in Junior and didn't get signed (like Roy), then in 2013 became Drew Doughty's pairing mate.
__________________
"May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory."
Last edited by GranteedEV; 08-12-2015 at 05:43 PM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to GranteedEV For This Useful Post:
Roy wasn't qualified mainly due to being poor defensively
I haven't watched him play and I know +/- is misleading but by reading his stats he seems to be improving.
2012-13 -32
2013-14 -9
2014-15 +31
Maybe someone here has watched Brandon and can offer some insight?
I think you raised the key point. He'll have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract.
The thing with Roy though, is that if he plays to like a man possessed and starts hitting his potential, his upside is extremely high. Top pairing defenceman high.
But he's got a long way to go. Low risk, high reward. I like the move.
Yup. It's a huge IF, but if he can reach that potential he definitely is top pairing material. This is a player who was ranked in the 1st round in his draft year, and fell all the way to 5th round. A red flag for sure, but he is certainly blessed with talent. He has the tools, he just needs to put it together.
Absolutely zero risk on the Flames part, but a real steal if he pulls through. Hopefully this is the kick in the pants he needs to get going. I was sad to see the Flames let him go, but I understand why. Therefore I'm a huge fan of this move, as I thought we scored a real gem when we drafted him.
I haven't watched him play and I know +/- is misleading but by reading his stats he seems to be improving.
2012-13 -32
2013-14 -9
2014-15 +31
Maybe someone here has watched Brandon and can offer some insight?
The last word on him was that he did work on his defensive game and it did improve quite a bit last season. He also had a strong playoff performance. It apparently wasn't enough for him to be qualified however.
Not much has been said about whether it's low hockey IQ, bad attitude, or poor conditioning that have been the major factors. Certainly isn't his size holding him back.
I think you raised the key point. He'll have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract.
The thing with Roy though, is that if he plays to like a man possessed and starts hitting his potential, his upside is extremely high. Top pairing defenceman high.
But he's got a long way to go. Low risk, high reward. I like the move.
EXACTLY! Came here to post this too.
I am happy they signed him to a TO. I hope he makes the most of it.
Glad to see him get this chance although I was hoping he'd get an AHL contract right off, this seems like a logical move. As has been mentioned, we'll need to stock our ECHL team and players like Roy are better for us than some minor league pros that have been around for 10 years.
I'm not against it but I don't see the point. He's at the bottom of a mountain of prospects already under contract. Where would he even play? ECHL? I really don't see how there's room. He will have to play like a man possessed to earn a contract as it likely means he's forcing the Flames to make a trade to fit him in. If nothing else, I suppose this will make camp a little more competitive which is a positive.
It's been touched on, but this is likely headed towards an AHL or ECHL deal if he plays well. No need for the Flames to make any moves, as it won't count toward the roster limit. If they still like his upside, but couldn't justify a roster slot, this allows them to keep developing him in case he does figure it out and earn an NHL contract. If he improves to the point where another team might try to sign him, we can match or let him go. No risk. Possible reward.
Flames sign Eric Roy to ATO
