Practice Notes Training Camp Sept 26, 2025. 13 players assigned to Wranglers

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

This is where fans go wrong IMO.
We all want these kids to come in and “rip it up” during camp but fail to realize that it’s flat out really difficult to do. Matthew Tkachuk for example had just three points during his first two preseasons.. but that didn’t mean he wasn’t ready. We need to exercise a degree of patience and understand that it’s a learning process. Was Honzek a bust after being a top three preseason scorer last year? No. Is he a bust now? No. He has shown enough to still be in the main group while in the midst of a very competitive camp. We tend to overlook the little details of the game that matter most and come to conclusions over flashy plays and production.. but that’s not what makes someone stick in this league. Give these kids some leeway. They are not elite talents and shouldn’t be judged as such. The road doesn’t end for these guys at 19, 20, 21 years old.

Nah, I think I’m right still. It’s basically just math. The road narrows very considerably at 21+ let’s not kid ourselves here. How many prospects make the NHL? How many more prospects on top of the already solid depth this team has will there be in the next 2-3 years?

Don’t kid yourself. If Basha or Honzek don’t show up to camp next year and make an impression- is their career over? No, of course not. But is there now 2-3 more guys that are total stud prospects they’ll have to compete with, on top of the already numerous prospects the Flames already have? It’s just a numbers thing. How many rookies and prospects make the NHL… like 2 a year? Maybe? This means you literally have to be THE BEST.

So, I think I’m right. Nobody here is talking about Honzek being the best prospect, because he isn’t. He’s got next year and year after and guess what? More often then not- prospects don’t work out. My point stands. If these guys wanna make the NHL… time is ticking. Let’s say you have what, 4 solid years or camps to make the NHL? They’ve gone through multiple now…

I also love people saying “calm down” as if I even give a ####. Like believe me- I’m very calm. So calm I don’t really care because I don’t really think these types of players move the needle or make much of a difference. It’s just an opinion on a message board. This team needs MacKinnon level prospects to compete for a cup not Basha level prospects. I’d argue you’re the one who should calm down. Someone had the audacity to say Honzek and Basha’s time is ticking which is absolutely true and people get up in arms in their defence. Who’s the one that needs to calm down?

[cam_calderon]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Nah, I think I’m right still. It’s basically just math. The road narrows very considerably at 21+ let’s not kid ourselves here. How many prospects make the NHL? How many more prospects on top of the already solid depth this team has will there be in the next 2-3 years?

Don’t kid yourself. If Basha or Honzek don’t show up to camp next year and make an impression- is their career over? No, of course not. But is there now 2-3 more guys that are total stud prospects they’ll have to compete with, on top of the already numerous prospects the Flames already have? It’s just a numbers thing. How many rookies and prospects make the NHL… like 2 a year? Maybe? This means you literally have to be THE BEST.

So, I think I’m right. Nobody here is talking about Honzek being the best prospect, because he isn’t. He’s got next year and year after and guess what? More often then not- prospects don’t work out. My point stands. If these guys wanna make the NHL… time is ticking. Let’s say you have what, 4 solid years or camps to make the NHL? They’ve gone through multiple now…

I also love people saying “calm down” as if I even give a ####. Like believe me- I’m very calm. So calm I don’t really care because I don’t really think these types of players move the needle or make much of a difference. It’s just an opinion on a message board. This team needs MacKinnon level prospects to compete for a cup not Basha level prospects. I’d argue you’re the one who should calm down. Someone had the audacity to say Honzek and Basha’s time is ticking which is absolutely true and people get up in arms in their defence. Who’s the one that needs to calm down?

It's you.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

It's you.

Alrighty. They’ve got all the time in the world to make an impact then.

[BigThief]

Time is ticking? Well yeah, obviously. But to start clock watching when they're 20 and 19 is a little bizarre.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by BigThief

Time is ticking? Well yeah, obviously. But to start clock watching when they're 20 and 19 is a little bizarre.

Next year they’ll be 20 and 21, and, again, another crop of prospects will be there.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Next year they’ll be 20 and 21, and, again, another crop of prospects will be there.

Zary, Kerins, and Sharangovich all played their first NHL games at 22. Klapka at 23. Pospisil at 24. Honzek played his at 19.

Last year there were around 30 rookies with draft years 2019 or earlier (6+ years).

I don’t think we should be expecting either of these players to be making the team full time until 2027/28 or later. And generally 4-5 years post draft is completely normal for guys beyond the top 10.

[cam_calderon]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Alrighty. They’ve got all the time in the world to make an impact then.

You're right that these players aren't blue chippers.

Pretty normal for role players to take a few years to develop before they're NHL ready. I'm sure everyone would prefer these guys to be further along on their trajectory, but it's a bit premature to be calling them busts.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Next year they’ll be 20 and 21, and, again, another crop of prospects will be there.

Basha is at his best when he feels he's gotten the raw end of the stick. You should have saw how he responded when he didn't make Bantam AAA. I think it was actually way better for him, he was raw about that, making it was definitely bad for my own kid in the end. He was never gonna jump from Dub to NHL, plus that's a pretty crazy surgery to recover from for a hockey player. Not like a wrist where you can manage around it. Kind of really need confidence in your ankles.

[looooob]

I won't discuss Honzek for now, but Basha?


2nd rounder from 2024


for comparison how many 2nd rounders from 2023 have played any NHL games so far? 1 guy, 1 game.
so it is actually highly unusual for a D+2 2nd rounder to make the team or even play at all


what that means I guess depends on your perspective- it could drive home that many 2nd rounders are long shots, or it could confirm that this is too early on their progression- now I guess a separate issue is did he do enough in camp? Maybe not but again coming off his injuries I suspect the plan was just to let him simmer in the AHL this year

[GioforPM]

Honzek was picked 16th OA in 2023. He’s tied for 12 in games played. Only 6 of the 2023 draftees have played more than 10 games. None of them were picked behind Honzek.

I think Honzek is pretty close, watching him and going off more than flashy plays. He’s been pretty solid defensively and better at using his body.

[simmer2]

I'm trying to remember who said it...Al Coates maybe? Give prospects 3 years, then you mostly know what you have. So by the time they're 21, unless something unexpected changes for good or bad, you kind of know what you're getting.

Of course, there are always outliers. But that's what he said anyways.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Honzek was picked 16th OA in 2023. He’s tied for 12 in games played. Only 6 of the 2023 draftees have played more than 10 games. None of them were picked behind Honzek.

I think Honzek is pretty close, watching him and going off more than flashy plays. He’s been pretty solid defensively and better at using his body.

Is this a new way to evaluate player? Game played?

Especially that few games and they have done almost nothing in those games…..

Creative

Need more time to know what Honzek is. At this point he has mostly gone backward from a somewhat high draft position. His numbers in junior and the AHL has been very underwhelmed

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Is this a new way to evaluate player? Game played?

Especially that few games and they have done almost nothing in those games…..

Creative

Need more time to know what Honzek is. At this point he has mostly gone backward from a somewhat high draft position. His numbers in junior and the AHL has been very underwhelmed

Jury is still out on Honzek, for sure.

Games played is not some sort of free pass, not sure why you are looking at it that way. Like anything, the context is important, which is what the point is here. Things can be looked at in multidimensional ways.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Is this a new way to evaluate player? Game played?

Especially that few games and they have done almost nothing in those games…..

Creative

Need more time to know what Honzek is. At this point he has mostly gone backward from a somewhat high draft position. His numbers in junior and the AHL has been very underwhelmed

How is NHL games played not an evaluation of a player versus his draft class? The point is that very few 2023 draftees have made their teams. There's no reason to conclude anything about him career wise.

[Bubba17]

David Poile years ago said that when they (Nashville at the time) draft a player they will go back to junior for the next 2 years and then spend at least 2 years in the AHL. Worrying about kids that haven't even finished their junior years is nuts.

One of the top scorers in the NHL Draisatl went back to Jr., and to Bakersfield for a while when the Oilers finally figured out he wasn't ready for the NHL the year he was drafted. He wasn't really a factor until 2 years after he was drafted.

[Freeway]

If you're going to be an impact NHLer, we usually know before the end of a player's ELC. But the exceptions to "usually" are the fun ones.

[FurnaceFace]

The great GM Sam Pollock, while it was generations ago, had a rule he didn't trade a draft pick before he turned 23. The league has now accelerated a bit but I think it's a good measuring stick. Maybe now you alter that to D+3 years.

[Badgers Nose]

I know what Honzek is. He is a very young middle six NHLer.

He's not a star. If you stop judging him by star player standards you'll see too.

This year or next he will become a full time Flames player. Better than Pospisil. Not as good as Coronato. Probably a winger, or a centre the same way Zary is a centre. Haha

[GullFoss]

The flames future middle six: honzek, coronato, zary, potter, Reschny, gridin, klapka

I'm perfectly fine with Honzek as a middle six. Good enough. But where does the top line come from?

[TheScorpion]

I don't think there is a viable path for the Flames to build a truly competitive top line under the current circumstances. But circumstances can always change ...