QOTD: Who has been your most pleasant surprise this season?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

I picked Monahan. I thought he would slump a bit this season and need to be sheltered again this season but I have full confidence with him out there in any situation. He is going to compete hard to be our number one centre with Bennett. That isn't a bad thing at all.

The future is bright for this guy.

I guess I'm not as surprised with Monahan because I recall reading the scouting reports about his maturity and the stories last year how he was all business. To me he seems like one of those players that just gets it. Understands that he's always going to need to work on his game and isn't going to try and make a career off his skills alone. I think I posted early in the season that I felt he would be okay because of this. Still it's good to see that he's actually getting better and not suffering the dreaded sophomore slump like MacKinnon.

I'm not nearly as surprised with Bouma and Jooris type guys having career seasons as we have seen even Tim Jackman score double digit goals for the Flames as every year you are likely to see a bottom 6 guy have his career season.

[flambers]

There have been lots of surprises, which is great news!!

I went with Gaudreau's rookie season.... Flames needed offense.

1) Bouma --
2) Gaudreau's rookie season - would never have guessed he would have made the team...
3) Josh Jooris out of nowhere
4) Kris Russell -- proving he is a top 4 dman (wow can he ever block shots)
5) Monahan evolving and playing the toughest minutes.....

[My2Cents]

I had to go with Jooris. I think they are all fantastic unexcepted surprises, but Jooris is the only one that I didnt even see coming. I was hoping Monahan would continue to develop, I was hoping Gaudreau would translate from NCAA to the NHL, I was hoping Wideman would bounce back, I was hoping Bouma would continue to develop.

I did not ever even think about a prospect that CP collectively had written off (based on prospect rankings in the summer) become an impact NHL player. To me this is finding a diamond in the rough.

So many unreal story lines for the Flames this year. Good time to be a fan.

[FlatLandFlamesFan]

I would say the play of the the team as a whole has been uber satisfying
We all knew Johnny had the talent but having it translate at the NHL is nothing short of amazing

[GranteedEV]

To be honest, Gaudreau is putting up the numbers I sort of would not have been surprised with. Small highly skilled player with a storied college career, I was expecting assists and goals - I've never been one to sell guys short for being undersized.

But the way he's done it is, is an absolute surprise. I expect more of just being in on some good power plays and all that stuff, but he's the kind of player who can completely destroy other teams' defensive structure. I contend that his Hat Trick VS LAKings single-handedly saved our season. He's the kind of electric player whose hands you want the puck in as often as possible. Even when he turns it over, it's because he's making an ambitious move not just playing it safe. A lot of guys can handle a puck and a lot of guys can pass, but I'm not sure how many guys can do those things so explosively and creatively.

That said, I had to vote Jooris. He comes and gets FOUR game winners for the team already and he's a guy who scored only 11 AHL goals in a full season last year. A knack for always being at the right spot with the right timing with his right hand shot.

[Street Pharmacist]

If the question was "nicest surprise" or "most pleasant big surprise" I'd pick Monahan or Gaudreau. They're not nearly as big of a surprise as Jooris making the impact he has

[Roof-Daddy]

So many great options.

Went with Monahan growth.

Just ridiculous that this guy has not only evaded the dreaded "sophomore slump" but has actually put up better numbers in ALL areas while at the same time facing harder minutes against better opposition.

That's incredible to me, and when you add that to Backlund's evolution and the fact that Bennett is on the way, well elite teams are deep down the middle and that has potential to be an amazing 1-2-3 punch for many, MANY years to come.

[Imported_Aussie]

I went for Jooris because it was a surprise. Making it onto the opening night roster, keeping his place on the team, all from a guy who was an undrafted college signing with a so-so rookie year in the AHL.

Monahan, Brodie, Giordano, Hudler and Gaudreau have had bigger impacts, but they also had higher expectations.

[Igster]

Yeah, like so many others, Monahan for me as well. The guy is already a stud and only going to get better.

[Gaskal]

Had to go with Monahan. Not only did he deflect the sophomore jinx, he established himself as our #1C for a while.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

I went with Wideman but I could also have gone with Monahan, Gaudreau and Jooris.

Same for me. I went with Wideman. I had pretty much given up on the guy at the start of the season, but i have done a complete 180 on my view of him. He is a legitimate and important piece of our top 4.

[N-E-B]

I went with Monahan, not because I expected him to be bad, but I didn't think he'd be as good as he's been. His offense is improved but so have the little areas of his game.

[FlamesAddiction]

Tough poll as there are a few good answers. Had to really think about it.

I had to go with Johhny. I thought that he would need some AHL time to bridge the college to NHL gap. It looked rough at the start of the season, but he ended up catching on pretty fast.

Jooris would be a close second for me. He was pretty good at last year's camp and after this year's camp, I knew he would have the potential to be a call-up and a future energy line player. I obviously didn't expect him to be as effective as he has been, but wasn't surprised that he made the team.

Monahan's development would be a close 3rd. He is averaging more points than MacKinnon this season so far.

[Coach]

I went with Wideman. Other than Jooris, the other things were more of hopeful expectations for me, so they're not really surprises.

Wideman was a big whipping boy last year and was no where near his salary. He's bounced back significantly and it's been a major reason for the teams succes.

[Delthefunky]

Great poll and really tough choice. Decided to give Brodie some love though. I think as great as he's been he's still a little under-rated much in thanks to Gio's great play. Out of the gate he was amazing, then cooled off a tiny bit, but the last segment of games he's just been steady, and an integral part to our awesome top pairing . I think the answer to this poll though has to lie somewhere in our defence... Who here really thought Gio/Brodie would be one of the leagues top pairing this year??

[KPJ]

Gaudreau for me. I thought it would be a struggle for him to adapt to the size of the pros and being used to a shorter NCAA season, I was sure he'd struggle in the AHL this year. Now he's in the Calder conversation. Glad I was dead wrong.

[Huntingwhale]

Tough question, but for me the biggest surprise has been our offence from the back end and their overall play. Just last season most people would have placed our defense in the lower tier of the league. Really the only changes have been the subtraction of Butler and additions of 6/7 guys in Engelland and Diaz. Everthing else stayed the same. So what changed?

Brodie blossoming into a top pairing guy IMO has been the biggest change. We now have an elite, legit top pairing that can play against the best of the best. Russell has also taken a step foward and solidified himself as a good #3. Wideman is earning his pay as a #4. Now people around the league regard our defense as one of the best. Can't really say that the subtraction of Butler is the main reason, but Hartley has them playing to their strengths and it's working. Gio proved again this season that last year was no fluke. We finally have a system in place where our guys can make stretch passes and catch our forwards going up ice at full speed.

[genetic_phreek]

I went with Mony. He seems to be evolving. I always saw him as a pure straight to the net goal scorer. This year he's skating faster, better puck handling, and still successful with his scoring.

[Robbob]

Really tough question but I settled for Gaudreau because I didn't expect this much so soon. Originally it was all about him adapting to the NHL. Now he is playing on our top line facing the better players. When we are trailing late he is getting double shifted as he is such a offensive spark plug. He is only going to get better.

[Camronius]

Had to choose other. As a Flames fan, The Edmonton oilers have been the most pleasant surprise. I thought they would have been better this year.