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Old 09-21-2018, 02:32 PM   #1
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Flames' Dillon Dube shines on mic as well as the ice

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...1-6f89ca624814

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Another day at Calgary Flames training camp.

Another day with microphones shoved in Dillon Dube’s face.

It’s been a daily occurrence these past two weeks as the 20-year-old centre continues to draw a crowd in his possibly temporary stall at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Since the main, veteran-laden group has been busy with the O.R.G. China Games, Dube has been headline-grabbing in Calgary and has quickly become a go-to quote, sound-bite, and video clip in the dressing room for the media. And, truth be told, after a pair of eye-catching rookie games and two pre-season clashes, it has been rightfully earned.

“I’m kind of used to it, just with the world juniors and things like that,” Dube had said prior to heading into a much needed mandatory day off on Thursday. “In Kelowna, you didn’t get too much (media attention). You’re creating relationships and, obviously, it’s good. You don’t want to have a bad rep because this is my first real exposure to it. It’s been nice being around here and obviously my parents get to look things up and see me in the paper and stuff.”
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With performances like the Cochrane native’s most recent outings, it tends to draw attention. For example, his between-period interview with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy on the live National Hockey League broadcast of Wednesday’s game.

“I’m not on Twitter so I don’t really see it, and as a player, I don’t think you really want to see it. I don’t like listening to myself talk,” said Dube. “It’s good (to be recognized) but I don’t need to see myself on websites and stuff. You can get too high and I know lots of guys that have (read) bad things about themselves and that’s not really good going into camp.

“When you’re soaring high, obviously it’s good … it makes you feel good, for sure … but if you have a bad game, I can’t be going up and down.”
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Word did, no doubt, travel all the way to China and to Brad Treliving’s laptop regarding Dube’s training camp — which is his first legitimate shot at cracking the NHL roster after graduating from the Kelowna Rockets this spring.

“It’s even more nerve-wracking because you want to do things to get yourself noticed (by the Flames’ brass) over there,” Dube said. “It’s hard. You put too much pressure on yourself but it’s their job to recognize you. They’re trying to win Stanley Cups and pick their best players so they’re going to be watching you — they’re going to be watching every single guy in this camp. They might even be watching us (in Calgary) with more detail on video; it’s not like a game atmosphere where things happen fast so you have to be dialed in.”
Goalie Schneider relishes adventure of a lifetime with Flames in China

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...0-2f868bddef57

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Puck-stopping is now Nick Schneider’s full-time job.

For the Calgary Flames’ goaltender-in-grooming, pizza delivery was a one-time deal.

“I got a picture of that,” beamed netminding coach Jordan Sigalet, chuckling at the thought of the 21-year-old Schneider serving up slices of cheesy goodness to the Flames’ biggest stars during their sightseeing trip to the Great Wall of China.

“It was funny — Smitty bought the pizzas and gave them to Schneids, and he came up on the chair-lift with them. He was huffing and puffing because he had three very large pizzas, but the boys were excited. I think they thought he bought them, so it was a pretty cool moment for him and a bonding experience, too.”

Schneider, treated to a trip-of-a-lifetime as the Flames’ third goalie for their grow-the-game getaway to Shenzhen and Beijing, is quick to confirm that Mike Smith paid for the pies.

In fact, he insists the stalwart starter did basically all of the heavy-lifting, lugging the pizzas up the steepest part of the approach before handing off the greasy grub so he could locate his ticket.

“Just right place, right time,” Schneider said with a smile. “Smitty knew what to do — he said, ‘All the guys are going to be hungry, might as well buy a bunch.’ It was a veteran move on his part, for sure.”
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Now with 500-plus crease appearances on the biggest stage, the 36-year-old Smith was once a wide-eyed wannabe.

He remembers.

“A smile hasn’t left his face the whole time we’ve been here,” Smith said of Schneider. “I think it’s been a pretty cool experience for him. I was in his shoes it seemed like not too long ago — it has been quite a few years now — and for a kid like that to get an experience like this in Asia, it’s probably something he’ll never forget.”
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A long-term project, it could be awhile before his next stay in a Ritz-Carlton or next flight on a luxury charter.

“You can tell he’s a kid in awe — just to be around these guys, at this level,” Sigalet said of Schneider, who didn’t see any game action in China but did dress as Jon Gillies’ backup for a 4-3 shootout loss in Shenzhen.

“To be around Smitty every day and see how he is as a pro and how he prepares … you can’t teach that stuff. He’ll soak everything in like that, and Smitty has kind of taken him under his wing, as well.

“And then he hasn’t seen a ton of shots in practice, but he’s such a good kid that when he gets in there, he just works his tail off, trying to get better and asking tons of questions to all the guys. He’s not just sitting back. He’s trying to learn as much as he can.”
China was no cake walk: New Flames coach cranks up intensity

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...d-68bad4d3ac54

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The new boss doesn’t just demand sweat.

He drips it.

For many of the Calgary Flames’ go-to guys, their exhibition odyssey to Shenzhen and Beijing for the 2018 O.R.G. China Games also doubled as an introduction to the on-ice intensity level of head-coaching hire Bill Peters.

The 53-year-old runs a pacey practice.

In China, the proof was often trickling down his forehead.

“He’s on the ball, man,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano, whose weary crew returned home in the wee hours of Thursday morning. “He seems like he sees everything out there and is obviously really upbeat, up-tempo. I like it. If you put the practice in at that intensity, it really prepares you for the games.

“I’m sure that’s probably his thinking behind the pace out there.”
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After limited viewings as an opponent and plenty of prep work over the summer, the new skipper gained some behind-the-bench intel on his key pieces in back-to-back losses to the Boston Bruins — a 4-3 shootout setback in Shenzhen and then a 3-1 bummer in Beijing.

On a slow-go bus-ride to the Great Wall of China, Peters analysed video on his laptop.

“He’s enthusiastic, he likes to get a high-tempo practice going, and he’s real energetic,” assessed Flames superstar winger Johnny Gaudreau prior to Wednesday’s trip-capper at Cadillac Arena in Beijing. “It’s great. I like it. And if we’re not going, he lets us know already, and this is only Day 6 or Day 7.

“And then when he blows the whistle, he’s skating as fast as he can around the rink with us, as well. It’s great to see a coach that involved.”
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Thankfully for his new charges, he’s not the only off-season arrival from Raleigh. Especially in their first practice in Shenzhen, the bulk of the boys were clearly counting on a hat-trick of former Hurricanes — trade acquisitions Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin and free-agent signee Derek Ryan — for front-of-the-line, follow-me duties during drills.

“I think you just need to be prepared every day when you go to the rink,” Hanifin said. “As you guys can probably see, it’s pretty up-tempo and fast and we go from drill to drill pretty quick. So you really have to be dialled in every day. But if you are, it’s going to pay off.”

Ryan knows Peters better than anybody on the payroll — this player-coach relationship dates back to their days with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League, and they were later reunited for three winters in Carolina.

The 31-year-old Ryan, finally a right-handed option for the Flames at centre, understands that he’ll be quizzed about the new whistle-man at the Saddledome.

He expects those questions will stop soon enough.

“I don’t think it will take long for fans and people in the organization to really get a feel for who Bill Peters is as a person and a hockey coach. He’s a pretty assertive guy, and he’s not shy to share his opinions,” Ryan said. “He has a great memory, and I think that’s a big thing that stands out to a lot of guys who’ve played for him — he remembers certain situations, certain games, certain things that happen and the exact players that were involved and all that. He’s really knowledgeable like that, and he knows his Xs and Os really well.

“He’s not an easy coach. He’s definitely hard and he expects a lot of his players, but I think that’s a sign of a good coach, too — to have that and to be able to expect big things out of your players.”
Logan Shaw looks to make most of PTO with Flames

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...d-f497dbdd233d

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Logan Shaw doesn’t need to look far for motivation in the off-season.

At any given day in Halifax where the Glace Bay, N.S., native spends his summers, you can find Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon or Brad Marchand, three of the best players in the world, skating together along with Shaw and a handful of other local professional players who train with Crosby’s long-time trainer Andy O’Brien. John Tavares has dropped in on occasion. Ditto with James Neal. Andrew Cogliano has made an appearance along with Matt Duchene.

Yes, the star-studded ice times have many perks.

“You see them compete every day in practice,” Shaw said. “It’s the middle of July and we’re doing battle drills already. You watch those guys compete like that and it makes you want to compete hard and try to make yourself better. Skating with those guys, honestly, I don’t understand why I wouldn’t do it … we have a good group of guys.

“It’s good competition.”

And there are no days off.

“They work hard every day,” Shaw said. “To me, that’s the biggest thing. They’re not messing around and being lackadaisical. That’s the coolest thing. (Crosby) is the best player in the world and he’s still trying to get better every day.”
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The progression continued in 2017-18 with 42 games with the Ducks before he was placed on waivers and snatched up by the Montreal Canadiens where he skated in 30 games.

“I had a good year, my first full year up,” Shaw said. “It sucks bouncing around sometimes but you just have to do what you can to find your way into the league.”

Crosby, he is not, but Shaw brings an element that could make sense for the Flames.

A right-handed shot, the 25-year-old is a versatile forward who can play centre and wing in a third- or fourth-line capacity as well as penalty kill.

“Basically, my role was just to play smart and stay in the lineup,” he said. “Pretty simple. I know that there are spots available. You have to win your spot, obviously, but I know they like forwards that can play both wing and centre.

“I had a good discussion with my agent coming into this camp that there is a chance that if I play the way I can play, I can stick around. But I have to make sure I’m doing that.”
TURNING HEADS - Youngster Zavgorodniy made a major impression during his time at Flames camp

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/turn...ds/c-300298878

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Talented players don't beg for attention.

They let their game do the talking.

And in the short time Dmitry Zavgorodniy had to make an impression at Flames Training Camp, there was plenty to be heard.

"This is a player that our amateur scouting staff really, really liked," assistant general manager Brad Pascall said. "We love what we see so far.

"Yeah, we drafted him in the seventh round - but we were talking about him all season.

"Now we're here talking about him again."

And for good reason.

Zavgorodniy - the 198th overall selection this past June - burst onto the scene with an impressive showing in Rookie Camp, closing it with a tidy two-goal, one-assist outing in a 6-3 trouncing of the Edmonton Oilers prospects last week in Red Deer.

Logically, the 18-year-old is now heading back for a second year of junior following Thursday's reassignments, but his two weeks under the 'Dome accomplished a goal many are unable to in this unshakable evaluation setting.

"Stand out," Pascall said. "That's what we want to see from these young guys.

"Dmitry found a way to do that."
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He's the player that makes you go 'Ooooh.'

"The product of all that work he put in over the summer, we're seeing it now," Pascall said. "We tell our young players all the time at these camps: 'Whatever got you here, do that.' Be seen.

"He has two things that are highly coveted in the game today - skill and speed. He's given us both, and then some.

"He's an exciting player to watch."
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Learning English was one of the toughest things I had to do. ... And I played in the Q, so everyone was speaking French.

"When I walked in the locker room for the first time, I couldn't understand anything.

"I was a little worried. How would I understand anything? Will anyone understand me? But my teammates and coaches really helped me with all that. I was taking English courses pretty much every day, and over the course of the season I was able to learn some French words, too."

Twice a week, two hours a day, he buried his head in the Rossetta Stone-style manuals that helped fortify his grasp on even the most basic of interaction.

It's just further evidence of the commitment this young player has to his craft, on and off the ice.
'WHAT A FANTASTIC BONDING EXPERIENCE' - China trip should pay dividends down the road for Flames

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/what...ce/c-300270954

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Asked to pinpoint one go-to purchase over the past eight days, Matthew Tkachuk barely wavered.

"Probably," he reckoned, "the robe I bought at the Great Wall. When I put it on the guys said I looked like Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers.
"But I like it."

The extensive planning, heightened anticipation and build-up is over, the Flames' Chinese odyssey has come to an end.

Hopping aboard a bus post-game from the Cadillac Arena and the O.R.G NHL China Games-ending 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins for the two-hour trek to Tianjin (charter flights are forbidden in or out of Beijing) and an 11-hour charter jaunt home, the traveling contingent scheduled to touch down on the home tarmac around 11 p.m. Calgary time Wednesday night.

That was some twenty-one hours after checking out of the JW Marriott, bound for the rink.
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The unfamiliar obstacles thrown in their path over the course of eight days - gridlock traffic, ongoing equipment issues - in the final analysis didn't seem to matter all that much.

"Besides, when guys get frustrated, you start to understand their emotions, what bugs them,'' said Sean Monahan, mischieviously. "So you can chirp them about those throughout the season, which is always good.

"Staying together during those situations, which we did this trip, knits you together.

"Coming here, not knowing what to expect, never thinking I'd ever be going to China, has been an experience I'll never forget. A lot of other guys, too, I'm sure."
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Count Tkachuk among them.

"The best part? We spend a ton of time together,'' reasoned the fan-favourite left-winger. "That's what we were really looking forward to anyway. Through this trip, we've been able to really get to know the new guys, the ones just getting acclimated to the team and the city, and that's been great.

"Not everything went as planned, definitely some things were off, but you have to deal with them together. You're in it together.

"And so many things have been awesome. The Wall. The crowds at the games. The difference in culture. How friendly everybody is."
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About the only thing missing was a win.

"We prepared for a couple hiccups along the way and no doubt we were thrown a few curve balls but I thought the guys dealt with it all extremely well,'' said GM Brad Treliving.

"We said No. 1, we had to get the work in. End of the day, we missed one practice and pushed another back five hours. Not all that bad.

"No. 2 was to hopefully use this time to grow this group and hopefully experience something you may never experience again.

"We checked both those boxes.

"The entire trip has been a wonderful experience. Getting the group together, spending time together and hopefully building a bond - you hope, but you never know - exceeded my expectations."
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Old 09-21-2018, 02:57 PM   #2
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Both Gaudreau and Giordano talk intensity in practices in China.

Always find it interesting to see what guys don't say, but hint at without saying it. Doesn't that say they're more intense than under Gulutzan?
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Old 09-21-2018, 02:59 PM   #3
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Neat to hear such positive things about Zavgorodniy. High hopes for that kid.
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Old 09-21-2018, 03:14 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Bingo View Post
Both Gaudreau and Giordano talk intensity in practices in China.

Always find it interesting to see what guys don't say, but hint at without saying it. Doesn't that say they're more intense than under Gulutzan?
That's exactly what it sounded like to me. If they aren't more intense than last year, then there is no reason to comment on said intensity.

If you practice uptempo, you play uptempo
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Old 09-21-2018, 04:10 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Bingo View Post
Both Gaudreau and Giordano talk intensity in practices in China.

Always find it interesting to see what guys don't say, but hint at without saying it. Doesn't that say they're more intense than under Gulutzan?
I don't think Gulutzan practices were nearly as tough as Hartley's. Hartley cracked that whip good, but the results showed because of it. His teams seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

I'm a big fan of it though - I believe you should practice how you play.
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Old 09-21-2018, 04:21 PM   #6
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Neat to hear such positive things about Zavgorodniy. High hopes for that kid.
The standout moment for him for me was that he finished 2nd among the prospect skaters in fitness.

Very rare to see a player just drafted, and attending his first development camp score so high in the fitness testing. Feel like it has to be even more rare for it to be an undersized forward that does well in those tests, and likely even more rare for that player to be an ultra skilled russian forward.

His skill set is clearly there, but to me the fact that he seems so dedicated and determined to be a good player stands out the most.

Excited to see how he does with Alexis Lafrenière on Rimouski this season.
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Old 09-21-2018, 04:42 PM   #7
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I liked Shaw's comment about Crosby being the best player in the world. With all the hype around McDavid and the growing hype around Matthews i sometimes wonder what the players actually think. I still think Crosby's overall game is still #1 but lm admittedly biased as a flames fan😁
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Old 09-21-2018, 05:13 PM   #8
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Does McDavid even TRY to play a 200' game? Crosby is at a much higher level in everything but speed
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