This was a sloppy game, and the first game of training camp essentially, so to draw any real conclusions is foolhardy, but eh.. why not? I will break the players down into 3 categories. Of course these aren't set in stone conclusions, and shouldn't be taken as such.
Contenders:
(Based on the game tonight, players that look like they are pushing for a spot on the Flames). Honzek - looked great tonight. Made a lot of great plays, stripped a lot of pucks, and I think he is ready. The only warts I saw was the occasional lackadaisical play from him - some weak stick checks and drive-bys rather than engagement on his part. Gridin - He looked NHL ready to me tonight. Fast, lethal shot, and strong. Suniev - Constantly making plays, fantastic shot, and definitely an ox out there. King - Fantastic in all 3 zones, rarely made any mistakes, wonderful disruptive stick, and still created chances in the offensive zone too. By far the best center for either team in all 3 zones. Say - I thought he was very good until the end there. Very quick laterally. This is a good prospect that I think will actually make things a bit more interesting at camp. I am sure he will end up in the AHL, but I think he will give Coolie and Provestov a run for their money.
Bubble players: (Players who looked mostly good, but not quite pushing for a spot on the team) Laing - great IQ, nice reads, nice hands and solid playmaking. I think he needs to put on some size on what seems like a wiry, gangly frame. Battaglia - He is going back to Junior, but i thought he was really strong all over the ice tonight. He has fantastic hands, and is going to be very hard to move off the puck. Basha - Unnoticeable, but you can see the IQ here. I bet next game I would put him in the top group. Hurtig - Consistently good I thought, but still raw.
Other Notables:
(players that were noticeable for good reasons) Philips - yes, he screwed up on goals 3 and 4 there, and also seemed to not know what he was doing in his fight, but I can see why the Flames picked him where they did. There is a lot of potential here - very mobile, very aggressive, and can play a lot of minutes. Hopefully he can really develop into a solid shut-down type that is very hard to play against. He in a way reminds me of Nurse (I mean, strip away Nurse's contract and ego, and you have a good #4/5 guy). Brzustewicz - he started off horribly, but he got better. Morin - up and down tonight I felt. I still like Giordano as a good comp for him, but he didn't play like Giordano does tonight. Bell - I felt he had an up and down game. He played long stretches without hustle and physicality, but when he decided to, he was very effective. He moves well for a big man, and he has good skill. Just needs to play consistently in all areas.
Fun to see so many legitimately good prospects tonight. Hopefully next game will be slightly more polished, but really this is a glorified shinny game with some emotion as kids try to get noticed, so nobody should be contemned for mistakes tonight.
My biggest 'surprise' of the night was Philips. I really expected a slower, more lumbering player both with his skating and reaction time, but i didn't see that at all, and was pleasantly surprised. My next two biggest surprises was Suniev looking as composed and downright dominant, and King making as many strong plays in the offensive zone (I expected him to look the most polished defensively - the offence was a very nice surprise tonight). Nice to see those beautiful jerseys skating around again.
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Hopefully next game will be slightly more polished, but really this is a glorified shinny game with some emotion as kids try to get noticed, so nobody should be contemned for mistakes tonight
Thanked partly for excellent use of the rare but useful word ‘contemned’. But mostly for being interesting and informative!
Terrific news about Honzek and Gridin in particular. Barring injury, both those guys seem certain to see NHL games this season, whether or not they make the opening night roster.
I'm just trying not to get too excited too early, since this game was basically the Flames' prospects against the Oilers' near-total lack of prospects. We'll get a clearer picture against tougher opposition.
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I'm just trying not to get too excited too early, since this game was basically the Flames' prospects against the Oilers' near-total lack of prospects. We'll get a clearer picture against tougher opposition.
We just beat the Oilers. The Oilers were in the cup final.
QED - we’re going to win the Stanley Cup
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The Battaglia no-touch pass he makes on the Gridin goal was sick. Lets the pass go through his legs as a decoy while driving the net. High offensive IQ play by him, it reminded me of something Hudler or Huselius would do.
Last edited by AC; 09-13-2025 at 02:05 AM.
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