[News] With the 60th OA pick the Flames select D Oliver Kylington UPD: CHL rights to Brandon

[MrMastodonFarm]

So Kylington... Is he just a dummy or is he poor in his own zone because up until this season he got by on being offensive?

Hoping it's due to not being taught and not lack of hockey sense but I'm not overly familiar with him so I'll ask.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by pacde

So I wonder what happens if Hamilton gets Offer Sheeted
He is a prime target ... do we pay him 7 for 5 if thats the offer sheet?

(We Meaning Flames of course)

Hamilton will almost certainly be signed before July 1st.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

So Kylington... Is he just a dummy or is he poor in his own zone because up until this season he got by on being offensive?

Hoping it's due to not being taught and not lack of hockey sense but I'm not overly familiar with him so I'll ask.

Considering how paramount hockey sense has been to Flames drafting for the last ~7-8 drafts, I don't think Treliving/Button would have okayed trading down two third round picks to grab OK if they didn't feel he had good hockey sense.

[sa226]

I think he is a guy who has a ton of developing to do. He basically needs to learn how to be a pro defenceman, and it's going to be a lot of work.

I think where this pick will be decided is in the patience of the player and the patience of the team.

If he buckles down and does everything he can to be a pro, he could be the steal of the draft. If he gets impatient and thinks he deserves things he hasn't earned, then who knows.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I am hoping that the Flames decide to bring Kylington over and have him play in Stockton. Normally I would be against such a move, but having him learn from Huska would be great. Huska has a long track record of working with D and making them NHL calibre players. Kylington needs work on the defensive side of the game and he would benefit heavily from added time with a good defensive teacher like Huska.

It would cause a small problem with the lower end prospects that are in Stockton, and might lead to someone like Ramage or Acolatse not being retained, but I think the long term benefits would out weight the hindrances from having him play there sooner than later.

I would really like to have Kylington come over and play in the CHL for at least one season.

He indicated that he has a contract AIK which is step down from Färjestad where he was playing when he got the high midterm ranking by central scouting. He was playing a whole season (32 out of 55 games) as a 16 year old with Färjestad BK which was what put him on the radar.

The Swe-1 league (AIK) is where Backlund lost his mojo and Sutter rescued his development by getting him to the Kelowna Rockets after a season and half of no improvement.

Even the SEL (aka SHL) does not have great results as a NHL development league as Erixxon and Rundbald dominated the league before they came over and played on the national team at the spring world championships

Guys like Hedman and Brodin and Karlsson were almost NHL ready playing in the SEL as 18 year olds ie 1 more year in the SEL and into the NHL.

The AHL roster is crowded with players I don't think the Flames are ready to give up on..... Wotherspoon, Sieloff, Kulak, Culkin, Kanzig, Morrison, Nadakal.

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

i think wotherspoon is a bust. Given how desperate we were towards the end of the season for someone to step up and take 8-12 minutes a game this guy couldn't get on the ice....pretty telling I don't know much about hockey

fyp

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

fyp

Why? He has a point. It's not like Hartley and Co don't know anything about him so they weren't sure. He has been in the organization, played for Hartley the year prior, played for the AHL team all year.

If they trusted him he would've been given the ice-time. He obviously has some deficiency in his game that is stopping him taking another step.

It's not that hard to imagine a player can be a bust. No need to insult another poster over suggesting that.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Why? He has a point. It's not like Hartley and Co don't know anything about him so they weren't sure. He has been in the organization, played for Hartley the year prior, played for the AHL team all year.

If they trusted him he would've been given the ice-time. He obviously has some deficiency in his game that is stopping him taking another step.

It's not that hard to imagine a player can be a bust. No need to insult another poster over suggesting that.

Not really. It only means that they don't think he is ready.

Many players that go onto NHL success spend a lot more time in the minors that Wotherspoon has (including the current captain).

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by pacde

So I wonder what happens if Hamilton gets Offer Sheeted
He is a prime target ... do we pay him 7 for 5 if thats the offer sheet?

(We Meaning Flames of course)

I don't know if people are forgetting this or not but a player has to sign an offer sheet. Seeing that we just traded for the player I highly doubt Hamilton would even be considering other offers unless negotiations went terribly wrong with us. We have exclusive negotiating rights until July 1st anyways no? I'm sure they get a deal done before then anyways and the offer sheet isn't even an issue.

[theoforever]

na

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Why? He has a point. It's not like Hartley and Co don't know anything about him so they weren't sure. He has been in the organization, played for Hartley the year prior, played for the AHL team all year.

If they trusted him he would've been given the ice-time. He obviously has some deficiency in his game that is stopping him taking another step.

It's not that hard to imagine a player can be a bust. No need to insult another poster over suggesting that.

I don't disagree that Wotherspoon is or could be a bust. I just disagree with the reason given. Many players are scratched or benched in the playoffs so I don't see how Wotherspoon getting ~2-3 minutes a game is a good indicator.

[Haplo]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

I would really like to have Kylington come over and play in the CHL for at least one season.

He indicated that he has a contract AIK which is step down from Färjestad where he was playing when he got the high midterm ranking by central scouting. He was playing a whole season (32 out of 55 games) as a 16 year old with Färjestad BK which was what put him on the radar.

The Swe-1 league (AIK) is where Backlund lost his mojo and Sutter rescued his development by getting him to the Kelowna Rockets after a season and half of no improvement.

Even the SEL (aka SHL) does not have great results as a NHL development league as Erixxon and Rundbald dominated the league before they came over and played on the national team at the spring world championships

Guys like Hedman and Brodin and Karlsson were almost NHL ready playing in the SEL as 18 year olds ie 1 more year in the SEL and into the NHL.

The AHL roster is crowded with players I don't think the Flames are ready to give up on..... Wotherspoon, Sieloff, Kulak, Culkin, Kanzig, Morrison, Nadakal.

I think playing in Swedish second league Allsvenskan is better for his development than playing in SHL. If you struggle a bit in the SHL there are plenty of good players to take your place and you'll be left with very little ice time (and probably loan to Allsvenskan), which is what happened to Kylington. In AIK he will get a lot more ice time (likely first pairing) and responsibility (PP, maybe BP) even if he makes a few mistakes.

Ekman-Larsson, Filip Forsberg, Patrik Berglund are examples of players who went directly from big roles in Allsvenskan to NHL

[JohnnySkittles]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

So Kylington... Is he just a dummy or is he poor in his own zone because up until this season he got by on being offensive?

Hoping it's due to not being taught and not lack of hockey sense but I'm not overly familiar with him so I'll ask.

Lack of hockey sense has been mentioned with one of the reasons he dropped so much, but then again Karlsson in the same league had his hockey IQ questioned. Nevertheless it's a worthy gamble

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Haplo

I think playing in Swedish second league Allsvenskan is better for his development than playing in SHL. If you struggle a bit in the SHL there are plenty of good players to take your place and you'll be left with very little ice time (and probably loan to Allsvenskan), which is what happened to Kylington. In AIK he will get a lot more ice time (likely first pairing) and responsibility (PP, maybe BP) even if he makes a few mistakes.

Ekman-Larsson, Filip Forsberg, Patrik Berglund are examples of players who went directly from big roles in Allsvenskan to NHL

Berglund actually developed in the swe-1 league (2 full years after being drafted)... and into the NHL.

Forsberg was there for less than a year 38 games after being drafted and finished the year in the NHL and followed that with an AHL year (47 games) after that.

OEL was in the Swe-1 league for 42 games and straight to the NHL.

the upper tier (1st round picks) don't seem to be hurt by the Swe-1 and seem able to make the jump to the NHL. The guys that need some work don't seem to make the progress..

Is Kylington going to be NHL ready for 2016-17? If not I think that the Flames and Kylington find out more and have a better development path in the CHL.

[Haplo]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Berglund actually developed in the swe-1 league (2 full years after being drafted)... and into the NHL.

Forsberg was there for less than a year 38 games after being drafted and finished the year in the NHL and followed that with an AHL year (47 games) after that.

OEL was in the Swe-1 league for 42 games and straight to the NHL.

the upper tier (1st round picks) don't seem to be hurt by the Swe-1 and seem able to make the jump to the NHL. The guys that need some work don't seem to make the progress..

Is Kylington going to be NHL ready for 2016-17? If not I think that the Flames and Kylington find out more and have a better development path in the CHL.

Well fact is all three played at least a full season in Allsvenskan after being drafted (injuries kept them from full number of games), so it's certainly not a problem keeping him there.

Since my favourite team has played in that league for a number of years (not the upcoming season though) I've followed it more closely than SHL, so I have a pretty good grasp of it. The city I live in now also has a team in that league so I'd be able to watch a few of his games live next season, but we'll see what the flames decide they think is best for him.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Let's not forget that players sometimes have sub-par years. Wotherspoon was injured to start the season, and came back to a team with a new coach, new city and systems. He just didn't 'get it together' this past year. Is it disappointing? Yes, it is. However, let's not think it was an absolutely horrid season either.

Wotherspoon is still very much a very important prospect for the Flames, and he is a very promising top-4 prospect. Let's see how he comes into camp this year and what he does this season before we start writing him off.

[Geeoff]

Watching the interviews, he doesn't seem to have attitude problems to me? In the little 5 minute videos, he seems a bit like Craig Conroy in terms of personality. Big personality and always talking.

[SuperMatt18]

Was thrilled with the pick, really wanted to get Kylington somehow.

My opinion on Kylington was he let the pressure of draft year get to him.

Wanted to be a top pick and impress scouts he knew were there to watch him and ended up trying to do too much.

When you are forcing things it can look a lot like you don't have the hockey sense since you are getting turnovers and putting pucks into bad spots.

Some guys just look like they belong in a certain teams jersey, IMO Kylington is one of those guys who looks like he belongs in a Flames jersey.

[automaton 3]

Picking him at 60 is a coup.

He is an elite skater, if his decision making can be improved we have a real player.

Didn't see any hint of the supposed attitude problems in his interviews. Seems like a chatty kid.

[Flashpoint]

In his interview at thae draft he said he injured his hamstring at Christmas. For a guy relying on speed thats going to have an impact.

Great pick even if you had him at 15. You cant teach talent and speed.