Flames Pre-Season Begins

Calgary's official start to the pre-season began yesterday with the initiation of the rookie portion of training camp. Here's a lengthy training camp roster that includes all 65 invited players (7 goalies, 19 defensemen, 39 forwards). Apparently, on-ice sessions and practices are open to the public - the first rookie inter-squad game takes place this Sunday afternoon at the Saddledome for all those who are interested. As far as the Big Boys are concerned, main camp opens September 15th and is quickly followed up by the first pre-season match-up September 17th against the Florida Panthers.

If, like me, you're overwhelmed by the sheer volume of players on the training camp roster, Hockey's Future has a more succinct list of the Flames top 20 young 'uns to keep an eye on (21 if count Brent Krahn, who is conspicuously absent for some reason).

Surrounded by rosters and lists and such, I figured the thing to do would be to make my own. Following are those prospects I consider the most interesting:

1.) Brent Krahn - G - A top selection back into 2001, Krahn had his development derailed first by injuries and then by lack of playing time (he was second fiddle in the Lowell system when the Flames shared an affiliate with Carolina). In 05/06, Krahn was finally able to play a full year as the #1 and he didn't disappoint. Even though the Omaha Knights failed to make the post-season, Krahn managed 26 wins, 3 shut-outs and a 2.50 GAA - the latter stat was the 3rd best in the league, ahead of other notable prospects Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings), Josh Harding (Minnesota Wild) and Al Montoya (New York Rangers).

Most observers think this will be Krahn's "make or break season". If he doesn't beat out Jamie McLennan for the back-up position, he will have to be a dominant player in the AHL in order to remove all doubt for next year. Expect him to get some time in the NHL if there's an injury (god forbid) or if McLennan falters.

2.) Eric Nystrom - LW - Nystrom nearly won a spot with the big club last year before being sent down to the minors for some seasoning. By all accounts, Nystrom is a fiesty fore-checker, good skater and an excellent locker-room presence. On the negative side, he failed to put up significant offensive numbers in the AHL last year which probably means he'll never make much of an offensive impact at the NHL level. Unfortunately, that's what the Flames desperately need right now. However, Nystrom, like Nilson and Yelle, promises to have utility as a checking winger and penalty killer, so if either one of the aforementioned Flames players goes down to injury, expect Nystrom to get the call.

3.) Andrei Taratukhin - C - Recently, Darryl Sutter went on record to say that Taratukhin is probably the most talented prospect in the Flame's system. He's relatively old (23) and has already played at the pro level in the Russian Super League the last couple of years. He was also one of the few players on the most recent Russian Olympic team that wasn't already playing in the NHL. While his stats from playing in Russia aren't mind-blowing (9 goals, 15 assists in 40 GP) the difference in the play and scoring in the Super League make it difficult to accurately assess scoring prowess from stats alone. According to his "talent analysis" at russianprospects.com, Taratukhin is an average skater and shooter, but an excellent puck-handler and passer. Determination and work ethic are also mentioned as strengths.

As far as this coming season is concerned, 'Tukhin is a bit of a wild card. His age and experience should stand him in good stead to challenge for a spot on the Flames. He could end up usurping Byron Ritchie's place as the 13th forward, though he'll most likely draw into the Omaha Knights line-up - largely because he's never played NA hockey before and may need additional experience in that regard (also, he has a two-way contract). However, should the likes of Lombardi or Lundmark falter during the season, expect to see Taratukhin in the big line-up sooner rather than later.

4.) Tim Ramholt - D - The "other" defenseman selected behind Dion Phaneuf in 2003, Ramholt kicked ass in the QMJHL that year with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles - 9 goals and 27 assists in 51 games. By all accounts, he was set to have a bright future in the Nother American Junior ranks before he was lured back to Switzerland for monetary reasons. Back home, Ramholt's development seemed to stall - in 83 games with Zurich and Kloten, he scored just 1 goal and 4 assists thanks to relatively limited ice time.

Now that he's returned to this side of the pond, Ramholt will have to make siginificant strides towards becoming the player many thought he could be before his Swiss hiatus. If he can rediscover his form with top two type minutes on the farm, Ramholt will no doubt be challenging for a spot on the parent squad next season. I will definately be keeping an eye on his AHL numbers as this year progresses.

5.) Kris Chucko - RW - The Flames signed him to a pro contract in May - basically to rescue him from playing at the University of Michigan. While UofM is rumored to have a good system, Chucko had seemingly fallen through the cracks and his development was stagnating. Playing behind other notable prospects, like Phil Kessel, Chucko was resigned to third line checking type minutes - hardly the ideal situation for a first round draft pick.

According to scouts, Chucko is a big guy with a good stride and is strong on the puck. No one's really sure if he can score or not, thanks to his lackluster college numbers (which aren't reflected by some of his decent scoring totals as a minor hockey player), so it remains an open question heading into his first pro season. I don't think we'll see Chucko in the NHL this year, but with a decent AHL season he could be replacing the likes of Amonte or McCarty next October.

6.) Daniel Ryder - C - Ryder might be Calgary's most exciting prospect. He scored 20 goals in his rookie year in the OHL, followed by 29 goals the year after and 38 goals during the most recent campaign. In last season's OHL play-offs, Ryder scored 15 goals and 16 assists in just 19 games and won the Wayne Gretzky award for best play-off performer.

However, it's not just his stats that are intriguing. An OHL coaches poll conducted in the 05/06 season revealed that Ryder was considered a top player in various categories:

voted 3rd "smartest player"
voted 3rd "best on face-offs"
voted 1st "best penalty killer"

A prospect that can take face-offs and kill penalties while leading the team in scoring? Can't remember the last time we've seen something like that in the Flames system - usually it's mostly the penalty-killing type without the scoring ability.

This year, I expect Ryder to be returned to the Peterborough Petes for another year of Junior. If his prior play is any indication, I also expect him to dominate...

7.) Dustin Boyd - C - Boyd had a break-out season as an older guy in the WHL last year. He scored 48 goals and 42 assists in 64 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, nearly 30 points better than his previous season totals. He also made Canada's Junior Team and was a key component on the gold medal squad.

To me, Boyd is a bit of a question mark. He didn't really do a lot until his final season in the Junior ranks. Either he had some sort of epiphany or was simply an overager taking advantage of an ideal situation. If Boyd turns out to be the real deal, Calgary is gonna have to figure out what to do with all these centers in a couple of years. If not, he'll be a competent AHL player for the rest of his career.

My Other Notables: Matt Pelech, Mark Giordano, Richie Regehr, Brandon Prust.

Overall, it should be an interesting camp. The Flames roster doesn't have a lot of vacancies going into the season, but there are definately some positions which may become available thanks to either veteran injury (Amonte, McCarty, Nilson, Yelle, McLennan) or a project player faltering (Lundmark, Friesen, Lombardi). While I don't think players like Nystrom or Taratukhin will make the Flame's opening night roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see them donning Calgary silks at some later point(s) in the season.