2010 Development Camp updates

[StealthOiler]

Hey guys, I have a question and I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere - but I haven't seen it.

Is there still a session tomorrow at 9am? I saw it earlier in the week but it has been removed from the Flames website.

Thanks!

[Sly]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

What minor injuries?

Just listen to the interview, I can't pinpoint one thing but he listed the injuries he suffered before coming in to camp.

[Delthefunky]

Yeah I'm hearing a lot of 'ffffffffffffffffffff' like he's in pain. Judging by his tone of voice he's obviously injured. BAD.

Seriously though, he just mentioned that for one week he had hurt his hip flexor, the next week was his hamstring, and then the week after that he had the flu. Professional athletes do get injured from time to time.

[Imported_Aussie]

i hear from that interview that the kid is eager to get back in the gym and get better to make the NHL full time this year. He said himself, he started to hard, but he is young, and so long as the training staff with the Flames keep him from over-exerting himself, he is primed for a good camp

[Converge]

GOALIES
33 G Irving, Leland (L)
- Leland was for sure the best goalie all week (although Ortio is really not too far behind) and looked good again today. Rebound control and good lateral movement were the strengths of his game, but the occasional lapse of positioning definitely affected his performace. Hopefully he remains the No. 1 guy in Abbotsford next season and continues his positive development.

31 G Lamoureux, J.P (L)
- By far Lamoureux's best day, looked as good as Ortio and Irving at times. Very enjoyable to watch him perform this well.

1 G Lanigan, Cam (L)
- This was also probably Lanigan's best day. He made a couple huge saves and seemed more comfortable in net than previous days.

37 G Ortio, Joni (L)
- Ortio played very all week. Displayed excellent skating and good stick work everyday. Rebound control was also a slight problem all week however, but that should hopefully get better as he progresses. Joni is a very exciting prospect, due to his seemingly very high potential.


DEFENCE
54 LD Breen, Chris (L)
- Breen struggled with skating a bit again today, and his slow footspeed was exposed a couple times in the 4-on-4 (especially by Backlund). Very little offensive ability shown at all throughout the week, not a very good shot either. Puck control was average, and his strengths were strong defensive play and physicality. Maybe a poor mans Sutton one day, I guess we'll see.

66 LD Brodie, T.J. (L)
- Brodie finally showed his offensive skills today with his patience and puck control. His shot looked pretty good all week, but today was the first day where his offensive game looked great. I unfortunately didn't see enough of his defensive game, which really disappoints me, as I'd like to no where it's at. Nonetheless, he looked strong all week and will probably be an NHL'er one day.

80 RD Deilert, Alex (R)
- Deilert was one of the most delightful surprises this week. The best skater out of the defencemen for sure, and had very good offensive skills. Defensive coverage was way off once or twice today, but his overall defensive game was not as bad as I thought it would be. He had good strength against much bigger opponents and wasn't afraid to go into the corners with them. Definitely didn't shy away from physical play which came as a surprise given his smaller stature. Puck control was his biggest flaw.

51 LD Erixon, Tim (L)
- Erixon steadily improved all week. Probably the smoothest skating defenceman, but did not really have great speed. Likes to shoot for the tip a la Bouwmeester, but can also fire the puck in himself. Did a better job challenging shooters today but needs to be more aggresive infront of the net, especially with bigger guys like Bouma. Erixon is still atleast one more season away, if not one more after that in Abbotsford as well. His decision making was still a step too slow, but his puck control was very good all week. I look forward to seeing his development progress more next season in Skellefteå AIK.

45 LD Leach, Joey (L)
- Leach was a smooth skater but did not possess very good speed. Puck control was alright, especially for a guy at his first development camp. Appeared to have a low offensive upside, as expected, but was a good, defensive guy all week.

63 RD Meyers, Josh (R)
- Meyer's is actually a surprisingly good skater, with a much better offensive game than I had expected. He isn't as far down on the depth chart as I thought. Definitely the most NHL ready defenceman at camp.

61 LD Negrin, John (L)
- Hardly skated again, completed a couple drills, but at 50% speed probably.

40 LD Nyren, Giffen (L)
- Giffen was trying so hard to impress all week, and at times he looked great, but at other times he looked like an absolute mess. Today he played physical and very good defensively, battled hard infront of the net and didn't look out of position once. Skating looked sloppy again, but still very fast. I'd like to see him given a shot in Abbotsford.

43 RD Seabrook, Keith (R)
- I don't know if Seabrook's play declined all week or if I just progressively watched him less and less. Despite that, he still showed a very well rounded game all week long and was a decent skater and competed hard. He had a good shot and played with a physical edge to top it off. Very complete player.

[Converge]

FORWARDS
75 C Armstrong, John (R)
- Armstrong looked like I expected him too. For the most part his game was simply more mature than most other players at the camp. Had a good shot that he used a couple times. Did not participate in all drills today though.

49 C Arnold, Bill (R)
- Arnold kind of looks like a hybrid of two other American prospects at the camp; Marvin and Larson. He brings the size and physical edge that Marvin does, though not nearly to the same degree, as well as the offensive strengths of Larson, but not nearly as good, yet. He likes to shoot the puck and compete hard. His large size really helps him battle for the puck. Arnold has a lot of promising tools, but has a long way to go before he even gets a look for a spot in Abbotsford.

60 C Backlund, Mikael (L)
- Backlund's skating is easily the best at camp. Him and Rheault have very similar speed and acceleration, but Mikael's technique and mechanics puts him on another level. Displays a very complete two-way game, as well as a well rounded offensive game; he can both pass and shoot very well. There are no apparent holes in Backlund's game, he is ready for the NHL.

74 C Carpentier, Hugo (L)
- I'm not sure if Hugo actually skated the full day. I don't think I saw him once in the afternoon, or really in the morning either. He was definitely there in the morning for a little while though.

77 C Marvin, Aaron (L)
- I don't think Marvin skated today. Didn't see him. Looked for him. Still couldn't find him.

71 C Patterson, Gaelan (L)
- Gaelan looks to be a very complete player with the skill-set (as much as I hate to give a player a cookie cutter ceiling for potential) of a third liner. He has good size and works hard. His shot is good, and he's pretty good at deking as well.

59 C Reinhart, Max (L)
- Reinhart didn't really impress me in any area all week long, but didn't look bad anywhere either. Smart offensively and didn't look out of place at all today.

52 C Wahl, Mitch (R)
- Mitch Wahl was the biggest surprise of the week for sure, I didn't expect him to be this good. He might even be, maybe, the next best prospect in the Flames system beside Backlund. Although his speed is nothing to write home about, his skating is very nice; smooth and clean in his strides with great balance. His shot, as I've said before, is phenomenal, and not that far from Backlund's. I can't wait to see how he performs in Abbotsford, we might have a very special player in Wahl.

46 LW Bancks, Carter (L)
- Bancks was pretty bad all week, although he looked better today and started scoring some goals, his skating looked messy and his shot was very weak most of the week.

68 LW Bennett, Spencer (L)
- Bennet has looked a lot like Patterson, with a bit better skating. Besides that the two look very similar actually, with a slight edge in skill going to Gaelan, but Spencer uses his large frame to beat smaller defenders very well.

57 LW Bouma, Lance (L)
- Bouma's skating is his weakest ability by far. His offensive skill is not really that strong either, but his defensive and physical play is very, very strong. Loves to throw hits just for the sake of crushing someone into the boards, will probably be a bottom-six guy in his career.

79 LW Ferland, Michael (L)
- Ferland improved all week long, peaking today in the afternoon. His offensive skills are really starting to show, and his game looked comparable to those Patterson and Bennett, which is great being that this is only his first camp.

73 LW Grantham, Ryley (L)
- Did not skate.

58 LW Larson, Nick (L)
- Larson was up there with Wahl and Deilert as one of the most impressive and surprising players of the week. His shot is just behind Wahl's and Backlund's, but he has a quicker realease (seriously, he can get a shot off faster than Backlund). Loves to have the puck on his stick, loves to dangle, and loves to try exciting plays in the offensive zone. His skating is average, but at times struggled with control in some of the more difficult drills. I really, really like this guy, and he is exactly what we need more of in Abbotsford.

38 LW MacMillan, Logan (L)
- Did not skate.

72 LW Severyn, C.J. (L)
- Severyn came out swinging in the first day, and trended downward after that. C.J. has a good shot that he can get off quickly and showed an above average skating ability, but needs to play a more complete game to make it to the next level.

39 RW Cameron, Bryan (R)
- Cameron's best day was today for sure. He finally showed why (and how) he scored 53 goals this past season for the Colts. He used his shot a lot and stood out in the offensive zone. Interested to see how he performs in the AHL next year.

78 RW Holland, Patrick (R)
- Holland was probably the least noticable guy all week. Nothing special, not a lot to say here.

64 RW Howse, Ryan (L)
- Howse finally (thank god) showed some offensive prowess with his shooting today. He was able to make plays and score some goals, I liked what I saw. I hope he can come out of the gates flying next season and put together a great start and make a push for the Canadian WJC team. Howse still needs to work on many areas of his game before he is ready to turn pro though.

48 RW Nemisz, Greg (R)
- Nemisz's skating looked worse as the week went on. Not unbearable, but not very nice. Decent technique, but quite slow for a prospect with top-six hopes (and expectations) for his career. Defensively responsible and very mature for his age. His hands are his best asset by far. He has the ability to make his opponents look silly, but he just doesn't use his stick skills enough. Shot also needs work, but he's very good infront of the net. Nemisz is starting to look like a bit of a playmaker, he really likes to pass the puck, and is actually very good at it.

47 RW Rheault, Jon (R)
- Rheault looked unimpressive today. His skating looked great in the morning as usual, but he didn't stand out at all in the afternoon. He needs to be more consistent in his performance.

Notes: Aaron Marvin did not skate today. Bancks, Cameron, Severyn, Carpantier, Bouma, and Arnold all skated with the defencemen this morning.

Looks like this will be the last report, as the 9:00 session tomorrow morning appears to be cancelled.

I don't know if anyone is really enjoying reading these, but I've got nothing better to do. lol

[Torture]

I don't know if anyone is really enjoying reading these, but I've got nothing better to do. lol

Judging by the amount of thanks you're getting I would say everybody's enjoying them as much as I am. Thanks for taking the time to post your insights!

[united]

Thank you for you work, Converge, great job. I am disappointed I couldn't make it out this year, but your notes did a good job helping to paint a picture about prospects I can't watch on a regular basis.

[Trojan97]

Really good to hear about Ferland. Hopefully he keeps working hard this offseason and shows up to camp in Brandon ready to pot 20+ and kick some ass. I'd love to see him on the third/fourth line in a couple of years.

[Weiser Wonder]

I don't think it's a coincidence that Nemisz's skating looked worse as the week went on, they are probably tweaking a few things in his technique.

[ClubFlames]

Reading thefanblogger's analysis on the camp on his blog and Converge's are night and day in comparison. To thefanblogger everyone played well enough to warrant a spot coming this season. He has especially been pumping Jon Rheault to the max, calling him a top 6 player in the NHL and a star in the making, the guy is 24 years old, I mean I would love for that to happen but come on be realistic.

By the way, thanks Converge for your efforts.

[jschick88]

I have said it and I will say it again, TFB has no clue about prospects. How he picked out Jon Rheault as a top 6 forward from this camp is beyond me. What do you expect from TFB, he does blog for Klessel's site. Pure crap and garbage.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

Something you should all take into consideration with everyone, even Backlunds skating, is that the skating instructor for the prospects pretty much re-tooled every single players skating posture and stride this year. He is changing the push off motion of the players stride to eliminate toe dig, which is a bad habit that pretty much every player can get into when they are not constantly being observed.

...

He explains his theory a bit on the flames NHL video site.

This could be why some of the prospects look slower than normal, or look a little off, especially Cameron who said in the video that he is learning a new way to skate (ad libbed).

Edit: I would imagine it is pretty tough to focus on puck handling or shooting if the coaches are harping on proper skating position and stride.

I know in my sport, when I had to fundamentally change my entire posturing and motion, I looked like a complete fool for well over a month until muscle memory was established.

Good catch, and btw that video was IMO well worth the 3:30 it takes to watch it. And yeah, I can see how this could make some players look really off while adjusting.

I liked the part where Backlund makes a little sidecomment about this improving your balance too. Always useful that.

I know figure skating people and speed skaters are sometimes really dismissive of hockey skating, and I believe it's for good reason.

Not often you need to re-learn something so basic so late in your career. Kudos especialy to guys like Sarich for making the effort. But I guess the guys that make it to veteran status in the NHL tend to be the ones that are able to adjust.

[Beerfest]

Originally Posted by jschick88

I have said it and I will say it again, TFB has no clue about prospects. How he picked out Jon Rheault as a top 6 forward from this camp is beyond me. What do you expect from TFB, he does blog for Klessel's site. Pure crap and garbage.

Its his opinion, no need for you to get upset because he really likes a prospect.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

Its his opinion, no need for you to get upset because he really likes a prospect.

I think the part that people take issue with is that he doesn't just like "a" prospect, he likes all of them and predicts great things for some longshots.

[Beerfest]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I think the part that people take issue with is that he doesn't just like "a" prospect, he likes all of them and predicts great things for some longshots.

So?
How does that effect you or anyone else at all...

Its from HIS point of view.
Take from it whatever you want.

[ClubFlames]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

So?
How does that effect you or anyone else at all...

Its from HIS point of view.
Take from it whatever you want.

All of Eklunds rumors are from HIS point of view as well.

Just sayin

[Delthefunky]

I think some folks are just calling BS on his point of view. Which to be fair, are their own opinions, and therefore able to be freely discussed.

[Beerfest]

Originally Posted by Delthefunky

I think some folks are just calling BS on his point of view. Which to be fair, are their own opinions, and therefore able to be freely discussed.

Did they go watch the prospects at the camp?
If they didnt they cant form a proper opinion on how a player performed.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

So?
How does that effect you or anyone else at all...

Its from HIS point of view.
Take from it whatever you want.

It affects us in whether or not we put any value into his scouting reports or whether we have to write them off completely since they show a lack of objectivity.

You are the one who appears to be getting affected. The posters have taken his info however they wanted to, and then you jumped to his defense for some unknown reason.