[News] With the 18th OA pick, the Flames select C Cole Reschny

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by 1991 Canadian

My biggest curiosity is whether Reschny or Potter have a better NCAA season this year. Both centers. Both 1st round picks. My money is on Potter as he had a full season in the NCAA as an 18 year old. Knows what to expect. In theory should give him a leg up on all these CHL imports. But Reschny is the higher pick. Arguably higher potential. Will be fun to watch.

As long as they both lead their team to the Frozen Four, I'll be happy.

[Monahammer]

I have really been digging the Joe Mullen comparison for Potter.

Imagine if Reschny and Potter even develop to about 80% to Sakic and Mullen, we will be laughing.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Reschny's Dad looks like Boomer

Is that good?

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I have really been digging the Joe Mullen comparison for Potter.

Imagine if Reschny and Potter even develop to about 80% to Sakic and Mullen, we will be laughing.

80% of Sakic is still a top 100 player of all time.

Lets just hope for 65% of an Yzerman

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by MrMike

80% of Sakic is still a top 100 player of all time.

Lets just hope for 65% of an Yzerman

All we would need then is a 50% Federov!

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I have really been digging the Joe Mullen comparison for Potter.

Imagine if Reschny and Potter even develop to about 80% to Sakic and Mullen, we will be laughing.

Mullen must have been the worst skating 50 goal scorer ever. At least Potter has that on him.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

Mullen must have been the worst skating 50 goal scorer ever. At least Potter has that on him.

The most often overlooked Flame great.

He’s a knuckle-puck short of being a movie character, except for 3 cups, a few major awards and hall of fame induction.

Love that guy.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I have really been digging the Joe Mullen comparison for Potter.

Imagine if Reschny and Potter even develop to about 80% to Sakic and Mullen, we will be laughing.

I see Coronato as the Mullen comparable.

[CliffFletcher]

Don’t see any similarities between Mullen and Potter besides size. Mullen earned his living in the crease during the height of the hack and slash era. There were few players in the league who took as much punishment. Must have scored half his goals on his knees, or a second before being cross-checked off his skates.

[Bubba17]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

Mullen must have been the worst skating 50 goal scorer ever. At least Potter has that on him.

I would like to enter Tim Kerr in this conversation.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Bubba17

I would like to enter Tim Kerr in this conversation.

Ray Sheppard is also a part of this conversation. While we're at it, lets toss in Dave Andreychuk's name... anyone remember John Ogrodnick and if he could skate well?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bubba17

I would like to enter Tim Kerr in this conversation.

Pure powerplay specialist (still holds the record for most PP goals in a season) that lived around the crease taking care of the garbage. Not the worst skater but not the best and took a beating with knee and back injuries hampering his abilities.

[Robbob]

Luc Robitaille has to be in the conversation. I think I recall a scouting profile of him where it was said he skates slower than a Zamboni.

[looooob]

Re: Mullen


definitely overlooked a bit with the passage of time


I don't think you can debate that the era bookended by his arrival in late 85-86 to his departure post 1990 was the apex of the Flames franchise and he was arguably (the only real competition is MacInnis) the best player over that time frame


he was also really pretty famous around town at the time- he was recognized as the team star he was, but with time due to I guess his relatively short tenure, association with other teams too etc, seems not to be remembered as much anymore or so it feels

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Buff

Ray Sheppard is also a part of this conversation. While we're at it, lets toss in Dave Andreychuk's name... anyone remember John Ogrodnick and if he could skate well?

Don’t forget Rob Brown, and Dave Andreychuk in the poor-skating goal scorer list.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

Don’t forget Rob Brown, and Dave Andreychuk in the poor-skating goal scorer list.

At least Andreychuk etched out a long successful career. Brown played with Lemieux and once Recchi and Steven came along Brown's stats slipped a bit, and then some rookie from Czech (do you remember Jaromir Jagr?) pushed him further down the list he was done in Pittsburgh and no longer in a spot to take advantage of Lemieux making him look better than he was.

[sureLoss]

Postmedia article on Reschny. Very good read.

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...source=twitter

While Reschny delivered a two-point performance Sunday, propelling his squad to a 5-2 victory and a series sweep, his most impressive stat came from another column. The lefty won 15-of-17 draws that evening.

“I know how highly they think of him there,” Flames director of player development Ray Edwards said. “I think he was sixth in their fitness testing, which is amazing for an 18-year-old.

“We’re just starting to get to know Cole but he’s an impressive young man, in terms of character and professionalism and maturity and all that stuff, and he plays that way. I watched him take a bunch of faceoffs (during exhibition action) and the way he prepares and goes into the faceoff circle, he looks like a pro. And the way he wins faceoffs, he wins faceoffs like a guy who has played four or five years of pro hockey. He doesn’t just go in there willy-nilly. He has a plan and he executes that plan. Little things like that stand out to me.”

It was, indeed, Reschny’s playoff show-off that sealed his status as one of the Flames’ top targets, but not only for the reasons that are obvious on the statsheet. They were equally impressed with his defensive work during a second-round showdown with the Spokane Chiefs. His assignment was to keep tabs on Berkly Catton, a finalist for the WHL’s Player of the Year honours and now a rookie with the Seattle Kraken.

“The clincher for me was watching him in that series against Spokane and watching him against Catton’s line, basically head-to-head,” said Tod Button, the Flames director of amateur scouting. “I mean, we were doing all these draft interviews and talking to the defencemen out west and they all told us, ‘Oh, the hardest line to play against is the Catton line,’ or, ‘Oh, the best player is Catton.’

“There were some times where Catton got the better of him, but his resolve and his persistence, it showed. He just kept on coming and coming and coming. To see that, it was impressive.”

Button, who has been Calgary’s head amateur scout for two-plus decades, described him as “a conscientious two-way player” with an “understated, efficient game” and a “sneaky quick release” on his shot.

His hockey sense is a major asset and the Flames believe any concern about his quickness will melt away as he builds more muscle.

“With Cole, it’s not flash,” said Button, who racked up roughly 20 viewings of Reschny during his draft season, starting at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. “It’s just right play, right time, high-level plays and high execution.”

“The DNA of that kid is captain material someday,” said Huxley, who played 11 seasons as a minor-league tough guy, including some time with Calgary’s ECHL affiliate. “The Flames are getting a leader. I mean a leader in the room, in all three zones and just a guy that you want representing your organization. Because people will meet Cole and be like, ‘That is a very mature, very respectful, very good young man.’

“I think they hit a home run. I think they knocked it out of the park with him.”

[fotze2]

Reschny's are salt of the earth people.

[Enoch Root]

If taken to the limit (i.e. maximum upside for the skill set), that all describes an Anse Kopitar type player.

Please, oh great and glorious hockey gods, please let us have a Kopitar!

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

If taken to the limit (i.e. maximum upside for the skill set), that all describes an Anse Kopitar type player.

Please, oh great and glorious hockey gods, please let us have a Kopitar!

Kopitar is bigger and leveraged that physical advantage more at 6'3" and 225. Reschny won't be able to do that at 5'11" 183.

I think the more apt comparison for what you're hoping he can be at the top end is probably more Patrice Bergeron (6'1", 196) or Brayden Point (5'11")

Stylistically they were less reliant on physical attributes but more leveraged their skating and work ethic and were more cerebral as players.

That's what Reschny has to emulate.