2017 Flames Development Camp - week of July 3. UPD: roster and sched now out!

[TBone290]

squeaker

[GreenLantern2814]

Slick move by Andersson

[Jeff Lebowski]

How has Poirier looked? Is he making plays?

[Gaudfather]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

How has Poirier looked? Is he making plays?

Poirier was solid, though not a standout. He was skating well and showing good speed - he also set up a couple of nice opportunities in front of the net, that his center failed to capitalize on. Looked just fine I thought.

[Savvy27]

First off, the standouts:

Top Forwards:
Dillon Dube
Spencer Foo
Emile Poirier

Top Defencemen:
Oliver Kylington
Kayle Doetzel
Rasmus Andersson

Top Goalie:
Tyler Parsons

Collected my initial notes for convenience:

Spoiler!

First half impressions:

Zach Fischer: never heard of him before but I like his game. Chippy, hard on the forecheck, and relentless in taking the puck to the net. Impressive showing.

Valimaki: Unspectacular but involved and didn't make any mistakes that I noticed. Great shootout goal.

Doetzel: thought he looked good. Stripped the puck off a few guys and carried it well.

Kylington: same as usual for me... looks great for a few seconds then loses the puck. At least 5 turnovers.Better ddefensively though and looks way stronger than before. Probably the best skater on the ice and constantly involved in the play.

Josh Teves: played really well. Made a few good breakout passes, didn't get beat. Fluid skater and calm.

Tuulola: not great. Had to check roster to see if playing.

Fox: meh. Didn't do a whole lot. Kylington was far more noticeable and involved.

Ruopp LD: really big and pretty solid D. Not the best looking stride but good speed and was a challenge for the other team at both ends of the ice. Looks like he has some potential.

Foo: good showing. Made a great pass through traffic first shift, stripped the puck off Fox on the forecheck, showed good hands and net drive.

28 Poirier, Emile RW: it's fair to say that he looked better than last year and similarly promising to his first couple of development camps. He's a dangerous player who has an extra-gear. He also controls the puck well, keeps it on his forehand and makes smart, hard passes to guys in better position than him. He won a lot of battles and generated chances more consistently than any other player.

51 Veronneau, Max RW: has some promising qualities. He skates well even compared to some higher end prospects and has good puck skills. Made a great play during the PP segment where he walked out of the corner and found Kylington alone for a one-timer.

53 Smith, Alex RW: no comment... but none of the players looked out of place.

56 Lomberg, Ryan LW: he looked pretty good, which is to be expected as he has played more professional hockey than most. Skates well, plays hard, takes passes well. From what I've seen of him in the AHL, I don't think that scrimmages are great for showing his game since he isn't trying to get under people's skin or laying out hard checks. I like his game... really curious to see if he gets a sniff of the NHL eventually.

58 Kylington, Oliver LD: was the best player on the ice in the second half of the scrimmage in my opinion. Probably the best skater and possibly the best stickhandler. Still had a few giveaways, but to be fair, he's trying to do more than everyone else. Wow did his skill ever shine through on the powerplay.

59 Dube, Dillon C: as mentioned, I think he's a fantastic player. He controls the puck incredibly well, has breakaway speed, causes turnovers on the forecheck. Looks like he can do it all out there. He's done nothing but impress since being drafted... looks like a good one.

60 Pollock, Brett LW: bit of a mixed bag today. He's not a great skater, but he can take hard passes and controls the puck well. He had a great shift where he carried it in, almost scored on a hard shot and then scored a beauty shortly after, going bar-down on Parsons. I'm not sure what it is though... I still have doubts that he'll be full-time with the Heat this year.

75 Tuulola, Eetu RW: night and day from last year where he was the star. He just didn't have the same relentlessness as last year. It's just one icetime, but so was last year.

78 Malott, Jeff LW: took a pass in the slot and sniped a nice goal top corner. Didn't notice him too much other than that... among a lot of guys that played okay but were unremarkable.

80 Gawdin, Glenn C: has a fantastic shot. Really noticed how hard he was shooting and how quick the release was during the warm-ups. He scored a nice goal in the shootout but I don't remember him getting any chances during the scrimmage.

91 Mattson, Mitchell C: not a great scrimmage from him. He did some good things though, like battling for pucks in the corner. I'm not sure that he was quite up to the pace of most of the other guys.

96 Busch, Tyler C: can't comment.

97 Hawerchuk, Ben LW: looked pretty good. Above average skater who can carry the puck well. Didn't create a lot out there offensively, but he was working hard and battling. Interested to see more from him.

70 Schneider, Nick G: played pretty well. Didn't see him let in any weak ones and he made a few beauty saves. Was moving side to side well.

15 Foo, Spencer RW: he looked like a pretty confident player. He was trying to make a lot happen offensively and guys were playing hard against him. After seeing that icetime, I would be surprised if he made the NHL right out of camp, but I'd be shocked if he didn't carve out a top 6 role in the AHL early on. He's a smart player and it looks like he's got the skills to make it. His skating looks fine but there were faster players out there so I don't think he's going to be burning guys in the NHL. Obviously the shootout goal was incredible, but he made some other high skill plays too.

47 Phillips, Matthew RW: I thought he looked better as the icetime went on. He's a great stickhandler and he's quick. He wasn't getting as many scoring chances as I'm sure he would like to, the other team was doing a pretty good job of keeping him to the outside.

48 Fischer, Zach RW: mentioned him before but I thought he had the best showing of any of the first timers. Hard on the puck, showed some skill, scored a nice goal on a snap shot.

50 Rassell, Mark C: had an okay game, but had a gorgeous shootout goal where he did the Forsberg one hand move but slid it five-hole.

52 Joly, D'Artagnan RW: no comment

54 Andersson, Rasmus RD: had a pretty solid game. Thought he looked like a pro out there. Talks a lot on the ice. Carried the puck in on the rush a few times and found the trailer once for what should have been a great chance, but the recipient blew it. I'm a pretty big fan and thought he was good. Gorgeous shootout goal too.

63 Ruzicka, Adam C: liked his game in the first 20 minutes. He protected the puck well and seemed to have good instincts. Slowed down a bit as it went and I noticed him less and less. Looks like he has a lot of potential and I'm sure being at this camp and learning what to work on will do wonders for him.

68 Ollas Mattson, Adam LD: pretty unremarkable icetime. Seemed to carry the puck less than last year's scrimmage. Steady, not many mistakes. Looks big.

71 Smith, Hunter RW: I feel like I am too negative about him, but I seriously don't see the upside that some others do. The most noticeable things he did today were take penalties and make loud noises when he missed trying for big hits. He caught Kylington once, but then got in a battle with him a few seconds later and fell down as Kylington broke out of the zone.

81 Lindstrom, Linus C: no comment

84 Morrison Brad C: no comment

85 Healey, Josh LD: thought he looked pretty good. Plays a physical brand that seems to piss a few guys off. I like his skating and think his puck handling looks pretty good too. There's some upside I think.

86 Reinke, Mitch RD: no comment

88 Mangiapane, Andrew LW: made some plays, didn't struggle at all, but this was a less exciting showing than last year. I'm not worried or anything as sometimes the plays just don't come to you.

89 Dove-McFalls, Sam C: no comment

90 Vidmar, Sebastian LW: I don't think he showed enough to earn a contract. Looked a bit nervous at times and didn't really do anything to capture the attention of the crowd.

92 Wolff, Nick LD: lol... took a slapshot in the shootout and was stopped easily. Played okay other than that.

94 Mackey, Connor LD: no comment

72 McDonald, Mason G: thought he was getting lit up in the warm ups, but he played pretty good. Made the saves you expect the goalie to make and I didn't notice him giving up huge rebounds or anything like that.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

First off, the standouts:

Top Defencemen:
Oliver Kylington
Kayle Doetzel
Rasmus Andersson

58 Kylington, Oliver LD: was the best player on the ice in the second half of the scrimmage in my opinion. Probably the best skater and possibly the best stickhandler. Still had a few giveaways, but to be fair, he's trying to do more than everyone else. Wow did his skill ever shine through on the powerplay.

I do wonder how training camp plays out for Kylington.

With as solid of a top 4 as we appear to have on paper could there be room for a bit more of a "risky" guy like Kylington in that bottom pairing LH spot.

Could be paired with Stone in a sheltered role and get some PP time.

Still needs to learn to not force plays at the NHL level but will be interesting to see how he looks in training camp.

[TheScorpion]

I thought that Kylington was easily the most NHL-ready defenseman out there all week

[Savvy27]

The biggest difference this year with Kylington for me is how much stronger he looks. My guess is that he'll have to clearly outplay Kulak and Wotherspoon for that spot due to waiver considerations but he's got high-end talent for sure.

[Gaudfather]

Another general comment from the scrimmage this morning was the speed on the ice. I have been at a few of these scrimmages over the past four years, and they seem to be getting faster each year. To me this is just indicative that to succeed in today's NHL game you better have some jets.

[Caged Great]

Kylington was the best guy out there today on either squad.

Still makes errors, but is heads and shoulders better and more comfortable than anyone else.

[HighLifeMan]

A few notes from my perspective this morning.

Dillon Dube - Best forward on the ice. He is a puck hound that plays the game with a great deal of energy and has the skillset to convert on the turnovers he creates. What you saw of him at the WJC is a good example of the way he was playing today.

Jusso Valimaki - Best defensemen on the ice without question. He is so smooth in the way he transitions and skates the puck. He covers an enormous amount of the ice with his reach and skating ability. You can tell that he has the confidence to jump into the rush if the opportunity presents itself. He looks like a can't miss NHL player, who in my opinion will be playing and contributing in the big leagues within 2 years.

Josh Teves - In my opinion Josh Teves was by far the biggest standout amongst all of the invitees during the scrimmage. He simply controlled the game in all three zones and was willing to jump up into the rush and take the risks necessary to stand out. The puck seems to follow him on the ice and he consistently made the correct choices. He is definitely a player to keep an eye on moving forward. Extremely impressed.

Rasmus Andersson - Looks NHL ready. Most of us know the type of player he is and that showed today. Rasmus is incredibly poised with the puck and he really exudes high end hockey IQ and confidence in all three zones.

Tyler Parsons - Not much to contribute that hasn't already been said. The kid is legit and simply has the "it" factor about him. Tyler is an extremely aggressive and athletic goaltender who knows how to make the big save at the right time. He made an absolutely phenomenal save on Spencer Foo in the first half of the scrimmage.

Andrew Mangiapane - Kid looks like a future NHL player to me. He has everything you can possibly want in an NHL player with the exception of his size. Great skater, great shot, non-stop motor etc..

Mason McDonald / Nick Schneider - Meh. Average outings. I thought both had their moments but they often over committed to the shooter and found themselves out of position.

Adam Fox - He looks like he has bulked up and does not stand out as being a slightly undersized defensemen. His poise and ability to distribute the puck is simply at a level that none of our other prospects can touch. Elite hockey IQ. Defensive game will need to continue to round out moving forward.

Spencer Foo - He had his moments where he flashed the signs of what we have recently heard. Great hands (as proven by his shootout goal..wow), great puck pursuit and while his skating was alright, he did look a bit rusty. I don't think he is currently NHL ready but in saying that it is only one scrimmage game in the middle of the summer so a larger sample size is without a doubt needed. He had a few glaringly bad turnovers in the defensive zone that will not go over well with the coaching staff.

Oliver Kylington - Typical game from Kylington. I thought he was **** poor in the first half of the scrimmage. He struggled with positioning, one on one battles down low and turned the puck over on a few occasions. Second half I thought he was night and day better. He is such a fluid skater and you can tell he plays with an almost cocky level of confidence. He scored a goal and had a few shifts where he flat out dominated with his skillset. More consistency will be needed moving forward and he exhibited some of the same concerns that many of us have with his game.

Matthew Phillips - I was not overly impressed with what I saw today. He stood out mainly due to his size (so tiny..) but I really thought he was fighting the puck today. He skated well which is to be expected but he put himself in a few bad spots by trying to create too much individually. Not his best performance, but the skill is evident.

Ben Hawerchuk - After Teves he was in my opinion the second most effective walk on. Hawerchuk is a buzz saw and actively looks to get himself involved on a shift to shift basis. He has a decent ability to protect and cycle the puck for a player his size.

Emile Poirier - Flashed signs of his former self but at times looked disengaged from the play. All in all though I was relatively happy with the way he performed. He looked like a player who has pro experience out there.

Adam Ollas-Matsson - Adam is a big man with surprisingly good hands. In addition to that he skates fairly well and can transition the puck at a decent level. Very good stick work and positioning was demonstrated today. Solid prospect who may have the potential to one day see NHL work.

Mitchell Mattson - The kid has a long ways to go. He needs to fill out that frame of his. Showed somewhat decently in the offensive zone, but I have my concerns.

Adam Ruzicka - Adam is a raw prospect. He has a huge frame, decent offensive vision, and can skate at an above average level for a player his size. He needs to concentrate on being more impactful on shift to shift basis.

Hunter Smith - Showed well. Played physical, skated well, and made an impact. It will be interesting to see how his season plays out in Stockton.

Max Verroneau - Verroneau caught my eye on more than a few shifts. He made a very nice pass on the Kylington goal, and I believe netted the empty netter. Good showing for the invite.

Sam Dove-Mcfalls - Big kid that can skate at a high level. I am not sure he has the hands or the finishing ability to translate successfully over as a pro however. Time will tell.

Nobody else stood out to me in a positive or overly negative way. I kind of missed having a can't miss prospect playing this year. I don't think it was as exciting this year.

[Gaudfather]

In a post scrimmage conference today, Treliving was saying the Penticton invitees will be told today who they are.

Also mentioned that he is seeing good strides in Kylington's development, but still wants better consistency.

Re Poirier said he looks like he has his fire back.

Said any spot with the big club, will need to be earned in training camp. Nothing will be given. Also said the possibility still exists that the Flames could add to some depth positions prior to training camp commencing.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Kylington was the best guy out there today on either squad.

Still makes errors, but is heads and shoulders better and more comfortable than anyone else.

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

Oliver Kylington - Typical game from Kylington. I thought he was **** poor in the first half of the scrimmage. He struggled with positioning, one on one battles down low and turned the puck over on a few occasions. Second half I thought he was night and day better. He is such a fluid skater and you can tell he plays with an almost cocky level of confidence. He scored a goal and had a few shifts where he flat out dominated with his skillset. More consistency will be needed moving forward and he exhibited some of the same concerns that many of us have with his game.

Which is it?

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Which is it?

I'm not a very good reader but the way I took it is he needs to be more consistent but when he was good, he was very good. When he wasn't, well... he wasn't. Hence Consistency is required.

[Freeway]

So you're saying it was a typical Kylington game over the past two seasons...?

[HighLifeMan]

Originally Posted by Freeway

So you're saying it was a typical Kylington game over the past two seasons...?

In the sense that we experienced both extreme high's and some questionable low's in the same game, yes. That's how I saw it anyways.

Some of us have to remember (myself included) that he's still only 20 years old. If can can reduce those low's or eliminate them completely than we have one heck of a player and talent on our hands.

[Tinordi]

You aren't going to make many NHL defensive squads if you can't be consistently relied upon to do the basics which is make the safe play, avoid turnovers, minimize gaffs.

Kylington isn't Karlsson, he wont get a sniff until he demonstrates he can be a consistent defenceman.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

I'm not a very good reader but the way I took it is he needs to be more consistent but when he was good, he was very good. When he wasn't, well... he wasn't. Hence Consistency is required.

Ya. Just one post saying he was the best guy out there on either squad and another saying what he is - A player that can look both great and terrible.

[TheFlamesVan]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

You aren't going to make many NHL defensive squads if you can't be consistently relied upon to do the basics which is make the safe play, avoid turnovers, minimize gaffs.

Kylington isn't Karlsson, he wont get a sniff until he demonstrates he can be a consistent defenceman.

With his huge offensive upside, I think Flames management are going to keep him in the minors for a few more seasons.

Defencemen take a long time, especially when they are one directional. I look forward to him pushing in camp when he's 24-25years old.

[Ring of Fire]

Forwards
15 Foo
-Relentless puck pursuit on forecheck and backcheck
-Fast but not blazing speed, stride does not look smooth
-Good motor
-Went in to a board battle with 3 guys and came out with the puck to create a scoring chance
-One of the more skilled guys, showed some flashes of NHL skill
-Beauty shootout goal on Parsons
88 Mangiapane
-Buzzing all over the ice
-Non-stop motor
-Some good chances
-Carried the puck well but tended to hang on too long and missed some opportunities to set up teammates
-Very confident
59 Dube
-Quick skater, skilled, confident
-Puck seemed to follow him around
-Among the best puck handlers in camp
-Drove play for his line, created chances at even strength, PP, and SH
-Tenacious puck pursuit creating multiple turnovers
-Excellent speed
-Even better than last year
56 Lomberg
-Didn't get to see the agitating side too much
-Fast skater, involved in the play both physically and offensively
-Was a nice complimentary player to whatever line he was on and made some nice little plays
-Looks like a similar trajectory to Hathaway
-I could see him getting a long look in camp and a cup of coffee in the NHL this year
28 Poirier
-Some good chances driving from the off-wing using his speed
-Shot looked good
-Looked to be enjoying his time on the ice
-I'm not sure about his offensive potential
47 Phillips
-Great hands, quickness but not much to show for it today
48 Fischer
-Physically involved
-Better skater and more agile than anticipated
-Looked to be a bit of an agitator
-Hard on the puck
-Good forechecking
-Scored a goal
63 Ruzicka
-Big, strong
-Good puck protection
-Will take a while before we know what we have
71 Smith (Hunter)
-Looked faster in straight line speed than last year
-Tried to hit everything
-Crushed Kylington on the end boards
-Hands are still a work-in-progress
75 Tuulola
-Big, thick, strong
-Not as in-your-face or involved this year as last year
60 Pollock
-Showed hands with a nice little play from the boards off a face off resulting in a beauty snipe on Parsons
-Otherwise looked like he may struggle in the AHL
91 Mattson
-Big, major project
80 Gawdin
-Quiet, confident, simple game at centre
-Won some faceoffs
-Good shot
-Can see why he was drafted by St. Louis but can also see why they cut bait as there seems to be little offensive potential
-Maybe an AHL depth move
78 Malott
-Most noticeable of the tryouts
-Good hands and good skater for his size
-Was in on some offensive plays resulting in goals
50 Rassell
-Lots of energy on forecheck and backcheck
-Beauty shootout goal
97 Hawerchuk
-Similar style to Mangiapane but not as physically developed
-Thinks the game well but looked overmatched physically
-Good skater, hard worker, involved, forechecked relentlessly
51 Veronneau
-Involved in some offensive plays
-Good skating and shot
53 Smith-Nothing of note
84 Morrison -Nothing of note
89 Dove-McFalls
-Big, can skate but I can see why Philly cut bait, little offensive upside, not very physical
90 Vidmar - Nothing of note
96 Busch - Nothing of note
52 Joly - not on ice
81 Lindstrom - not on ice
55 Sveningsson - not on ice

Defenceman

42 Valimaki
-Smooth, excellent skater, can stop on a dime, crisp passes
-Poised, calm under pressure, head up constantly
-Mistake-free play
-Controlled the play, seems very intelligent
-Broke up near every rush that came down on him
-Easily sidestepped a huge Hunter Smith bodycheck attempt
-Played more mature than his years easily handling the top forwards on the other team
-Seems to be a player who is opportunistic in the offensive zone by reading the play and finding the soft spots
-Paired with Fox
-Effortless shootout goal on Schneider: sold glove side then pulled it backhand

85 Healey
-Good skater, controlled the play both even strength and on the power play
-Physical style but still an effective puck mover and handler
-Excellent on the boards
-Great d-zone play
-Destroyed someone on the boards behind the net
-Broke up some offensive chances with excellent positioning and good stickwork (in particular broke up a 3-on-1 with ease)
-Very mature, calm game
-Looks like a guy who could hang around main camp for a bit
-One of the most polished d-men out there, glad we signed him

58 Kylington
-Looked physically stronger this year
-Amazing skating, excellent puck skills, slick passes, quick release
-Constantly involved in the play
-Showed off his excellent skating
-Created lots on chances on the PP
-Really trying to make things happen (other players who looked like this in the past from my recollection are Brodie and Kulak, so if he can minimize the mistakes when taking the chances it is not a bad thing)
-Some dumb plays in the defensive zone, turnovers, poor clearing attempts, sloppy outlet passes

54 Andersson
-Poised, confident, looks like a pro
-Controls the play
-Good stick positioning
-Some nice plays that didn't get finished
-Reads the play well
-Conditioning looked better
-Nice hands in the shootout

83 Fox
-Smart player
-Formed a solid pair with Valimaki
-Confident with the puck, smart player, makes good passes
-Not the fastest, biggest, or strongest but makes little plays with his smarts and puck skills

68 Ollas Mattson
-Big strong steady d-man
-Good skater but not overly quick
-Uses size and reach well to break up plays
-Stapled someone to the boards
-Not much in the way of puck play (this may hold him back from the show)
-Heavy wrist shot
-I am interested to see how he does in the AHL this year if he ends up there

43 Doetzel
-Not flashy but good positionally and good stickwork
-Skated well and steady
-Paired with Kylington

76 Teves
-Good skater, didn't look out of place with the prospects

98 Ruopp
-Big, reasonably good skater
86 Reinke - Nothing of note
92 Wolff - Nothing of note
94 Mackey - Nothing of note

Goalies

82 Parsons
-Very athletic and agressive
-Strong cross-crease push to cover the entire bottom of the net on cross-ice place
-Competitiveness very evident
-Went immediately to talk to Foo after the shootout

70 Schneider
-Some good positional saves
-Got beat glove side multiple times

72 McDonald
-Seemed confident
- Some good positional saves
-Let in a number of soft goals especially five-hole