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Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

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Old 12-24-2011, 10:32 AM   #49
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.



A season of renewal about to begin

Hello and welcome fans and readers, for TSN I am hockey insider Bob McKenzie.

I have been in this business for far too long to place any hasty predictions or emphasis on Calgary's upcoming season, they will have their struggles and ups and downs but there is an air of excitement here.

I have spoken to those who are close to the players and organization and there is a certain buzz in Calgary that hasn’t been present for many seasons, while a playoff birth is still probably out of grasp for this young team, it can now be seen on the horizon for most fans.

Now that isn't to say that all is sun shine and lollipops either, GM Pat Quinn and head coach Paul Maurice are enforcing a system of creativity and offence which is based off speed and skill, players are getting ice time according to their on ice production, not just of points or goals or assists but how their play is effecting the team overall.

In the pre seasons (yes I know it's only pre season..) we seen coach Maurice play some skilled guys in the bottom six because he felt they were playing that type of role and contributing those types of minutes and as we seen the day after Calgary's last pre season game when Mikael Backlund was in two separate fights, one with forward Rene Bourque and one with an assistant coach, this type of system can create friction.

It would appear that Backlund's antics will not be tolerated though, as he was immediately demoted to the Abbotsford heat and was a healthy scratch for the Heats first game last night, there are rumours around the NHL that Backlund has become available, and while I’m hearing that his altercation isn’t the sole reason for the young centre being shopped around the league, it was just what pushed it forward to this point.

I am receiving word that there is interest in Backlund around the league as the young Swede is talented with a visible upside and while Calgary feels he no longer fits the mould of this team going forward, they don’t have to trade him at this point but Backlund only has one year remaining on his current deal, and with how the forward feels it may be difficult to resign him here in Calgary.

Speaking of young talent, the Calgary Flames are ripe with it and it showed during pre season play, with strong efforts and a four game winning streak that seen the Flames go undefeated in pre season action, Let's take a look at Calgary's released lines for tonight’s tilt against the Detroit Red Wings.

Line one
LW Brett Connolly C Jonathan Huberdeau RW Rene Bourque
LD Brady Austin RD Lubomir Visnovsky

Line two
LW Alex Tanguay C Scott Gomez RW Patrick Elias
LD Yannick Weber RD Chris Butler

Line Three
LW Blake Comeau C Mike Fisher RW Robert Nilsson
LD Anton Babchuk RD Clayton Stoner

Line Four
LW Shawn Thornton C Zenon Kanopka RW Zack Stortini

Starting goaltender
Jonathan Bernier

Here we can see examples of that young talent this organization holds, Brady Austin who was the first overall pick from this years draft not only makes the Flames out of the gate, but gets paired on the top defensive units with none other then Lubomir Visnovsky, Austin has definitely played his way there, he was given top unit time since the first pre season game, mostly due to his draft status and like a bulldog, once he was latched onto that unit he never let it go.

While his defence partners rolled in and out of the line up Austin remained a steady and reliable force. in four pre season games he posted 2 assists a -1 rating and took four shots, all while being matched up against opponents top lines and not just manning but owning penalty kill special teams which did not surrender a goal all pre season long.

Joining Austin as emerging young talent is sniper Brett Connolly. While Connolly has moved up and down between the first and second lines in the pre season it was evident that on nearly every night he was a player to watch and many teams focused on which ever line Connolly was on to shut him down, using his good skating ability and hot wrist shot or powerful slapper Connolly amassed 2 goals 2 assists a +2 rating while snapping off a team leading 19 shots in 4 pre season games.

Connolly was another one of those guys that started this pre season and never looked back, as you can see the young snipers confidence and ability has landed him a top line start for the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, beating out veterans like Alex Tanguay and Patrick Elias, not bad for being 21 years old.

Cenetering that top unit is the play making Jonathan Huberdeau, while at times during the pre season it seemed that the young centre would disappear from the ice surface, his chemistry with Connolly was evident and shinning bright at various points during pre season, while its possible Huberdeau may yet see a return to the Abbotsford Heat, he played well enough to warrant at least a start on the Flames this season, in four pre season games Huberdeau tallied 3 points with one goal and two assists putting up a solid +3 rating on nine shots.

Also heading hot into this season is Jonathan Bernier, the displaced goalie from L.A. who Quinn made it clear would be a part of the Flames organization moving forward, threatening possible unmatchable offer sheets if the Kings would not open a trade route, and then immediately signing the young tender to a six year long term deal.

Bernier responded with favourable numbers, and by that I mean posting two shutouts in his only two performances in pre season hockey, once again it is only pre season but it is nice to see the goaltender you stuck your neck out to get respond with that kind of effort in a game that technically means nothing in the standings.

While the rebuild is in progression here in Calgary and moving now in a positive direction, which really showed last season on the Abbotsford Heat, the expectation moving into the future is that the wins will come not just for the Flames but for the Heat as well, GM Pat Quinn had stated earlier last season that it was time for the organization as a whole to be successful.

we can just look at the Heat's current line up to see many players who are being counted on to not only produce points but support the widening base of this re-establishing franchise

Line one
LW Nail Yakupov C Robert Rosen RW Matt Puempel
LD Alex Basso RD Bill Rowe

Line two
LW Maxsim Mayorov C Nick Spaling RW Ryan Howse
LD T.J Brodie RD James Martin

Line Three
LW Collin Valcourt C Greg Nemisz RW Roman Horak
LD Brendan Mikkelson RD Lance Bouma

Line Four
LW Michal Repik C Max Reinhart RW Sven Bartschi

Starting goaltender
Andrew D'agostini

It will be an interesting and I believe exciting season for Calgary fans moving forward this year and beyond, for TSN I am hockey insider Bob McKenzie
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Old 12-24-2011, 03:17 PM   #50
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

Nice you picked up Yakupov! He's a key player. What's his potential ?
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Old 12-25-2011, 07:36 AM   #51
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

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Originally Posted by johnnyrocks
Nice you picked up Yakupov! He's a key player. What's his potential ?
Honestly John unless he breaks out in a big way this seaosn i think hes going to fade away, his potential is now a b-/c/b- at 75 overall, while his offensive stats are highest at near all 80's even that isnt enough to provide scoring for an NHL team. I really hope he has a good season on the Heat and regains some potential, EA really sold him short.

but thanks for asking, cause i looked back and forogt to post my key player progression! ill post that now.
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Old 12-25-2011, 07:36 AM   #52
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

Merry Christmas to all!
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Old 12-25-2011, 08:40 AM   #53
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.


Hello and welcome fans and readers, for TSN I am hockey insider Bob McKenzie.

While the Mikael Backlund drama plays in the back round, the Calgary Flames have opened on a hopeful season with a 2-0-1 start which seen some of their youthful hopefuls shine and show exactly why they remained with the team, in today's report we look at the Calgary kids.

Looking back at the 2011/2012 season which seen the rebuild begin with the trading of Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Lee Stempniak, Jay Boumeester, Curtis Glencross, Scott Hannan, Brendan Morrison, David Moss and Tim Jackman, also add in the hiring of the desired architect Pat Quinn and bench boss Paul Maurice the Calgary Flames posted a franchise low 66 points (which prompted the above changes)

Quinn made the above trades shortly after taking over from Jay Feaster and getting the nod from Flames owners that it was time to bust it down and reform the foundation of this struggling franchise, Quinn launched into action pulling in 9 additional picks in the 2012 draft and adding an additional 2 picks to the 2013 selections while also adding a young D man in Yannick Weber (23 at the time) and bringing in a young sniper in Brett Connolly (19 at the time) as the final buzzer toned and the 2011/2012 season ended with a sigh for Flames fans, Quinn's gaze never left the horizon of the Flames future as he looked ahead and tried to plan.

As the summer months drifted past, Quinn and his scouting staff were engrossed with delving as deep as possible into statistical reports, game footage and even some personal trips to see the prospects of the upcoming 2012/2013 draft class, Quinn began to formulate a plan of attack.

With plenty of ammo to burn (16 total draft picks available including the first overall pick and two addition first rounders) Quinn began to restock a prospect system that was left on shaky legs with not much depth at all.

With his first pick Quinn selected a highly touted young D man by the name of Brady Austin. Austin was a force in his junior campaign, being tasked with shutting down the most brilliant of offensive stars, Austin had the skills to do the job but he also had the size, at the young age of 19, Austin stood at 6'4" and weighed 226 LBS.

While he remained with the Belleville Bulls for the rest of that season, Austin would get his chance this year and he grabbed it with both hands, now getting ready to play his fourth NHL game and looking like a guy that’s been in the League for years Austin could be here to stay.

I had a chance to speak with Brady earlier and this is what he had to say about his journey in Calgary.

Austin: Going first overall was a huge honour for me, and after I was selected by Mr. Quinn and we had a chance to talk again he looked at me as said, you got a chance here kid. We need a guy like you who can be depended upon on the ice and in the locker room, I always believed that a club should be built from the net out and you got a chance to be the biggest block of the whole wall.

I think that memory out of them all will always stick with me, ill never forget that. I signed my entry level contract with Calgary later that year, but remained with the Bulls and I was glad for it. I was made Captain and I think I learned a lot about being a pro, coach would say from time to time. You know Brady you have to learn these lessons well and pay attention, I can tell that you won’t be here long so take to heart everything you see and hear.

Sure enough this year I get put on the top lines in pre season and now here I am, four games into the season and still there, not only that but I get to ice with Lubomir Visnovsky, Lubo does so much for me and I try to learn everything I can from him, he's a calming guy out there on the ice, always talking and telling me when I make mistakes and how to fix them, I couldn’t of asked for more.

While the season has started well enough for the Flames, fans are eager to see how the season will pan out, so far Austin has posted 3 NHL GP he has 5 hits no points and is a -2 while playing on the top 50n5 unit, and all the top PK units for Calgary while averaging 22 minutes a night.

It was in the third round of that draft year (12/13) that Quinn moved Mikka Kiprusoff, Mike Giordano and Matt Stajan to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, another young guys who made the team this season Huberdeau had the following to say about being a Flame.

Huberdeau I wasn’t really sure what to think when I was told that I had been traded, I knew that the Flames were rebuilding and I was excited that they wanted me to be apart of that. I didn’t get much time with the Panthers so I can’t say I was attached to them or anything but being traded, I dunno it was, different.

I spent the pre season mostly with Connolly and Yakupov and Maurice was telling me, like every game. You got it all kid alls you need to do is keep your head up and stick down, you got the rest. That's all I’ve done so far is keep my head up and stick down and let the rest come naturally.

I try to keep it all in perspective of course but right now I live by that simple motto that Paul Maurice drilled into me since the pre season and I think it has helped me keep my game simple and make the good little plays and do the smart things out there.

After playing three games so far Huberdeau has one goal and 3 assists while showing great vision and patience on the ice, Jonathan is currently a +4 player with a 58% face-off win percentage and averaging 20 minutes a night.

Playing with these two future stars is Brett Connolly and while Connolly hasn’t found the back of the net yet in an NHL regular season game has provided 2 assists and added good speed and offensive awareness to Calgary's top line. Connolly wasn't available for an interview today but regardless to say he is excited about being in the NHL and playing on the top line of a rebuilding franchise. His chemistry with fellow line mates Huberdeau and Bourque is evident as the three have combined for 3 goals 5 assists 8 points and a +12 rating in only three games.

**Note: I forgot to post player progression from last season, I am sorry I will post it now***

Key player progression:

D Brady Austin (FDF) 20 years old 74 overall A/B-/A- WAS 72 A/B-/A-
C Logan Mcveigh (TWF) 19 years old 72 overall B/B/A- WAS 68 B/B/B
C Jonathan Huberdeau (PLY) 20 years old 78 overall B/B/B- WAS 73 B/B/B-
D Alex Basso (TWD) 20 years old 73 overall B/B/B- WAS 69 B/B/B-
LW Colin Valcourt (TWF) 20 years old 73 overall B/B-/B WAS 68 B/B-/B
RW Brett Connolly (SNP) 21 years old 82 overall B/B-/B- WAS 79 B/B-/B-
LW Ryan Howse (SNP) 22 years old 79 overall B/B-/B- WAS 74 B/B-/B-
C Mikael Backlund (PLY) 24 years old 82 overall B-/C/B WAS 82 B-/B-/B-
LW Nail Yakupov (PLY) 19 years old 75 overall B-/C/B- WAS 74 B/C/B-
RW T.J Foster (PLY) 21 years old 72 overall B/B/B
LW Matt Puempel (SNP) 20 years old 74 overall B/B/B
LW Tyler Seaman (PWF) 19 years old 73 overall A-/B-/B-
G Jonathan Bernier (HYB) 25 years old 87 overall B/B-/B

Last edited by Dynasty; 12-25-2011 at 08:54 AM.
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Old 12-25-2011, 05:15 PM   #54
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dynasty
Honestly John unless he breaks out in a big way this seaosn i think hes going to fade away, his potential is now a b-/c/b- at 75 overall, while his offensive stats are highest at near all 80's even that isnt enough to provide scoring for an NHL team. I really hope he has a good season on the Heat and regains some potential, EA really sold him short.

but thanks for asking, cause i looked back and forogt to post my key player progression! ill post that now.
Hold on a minute? This is strange, when I picked up my man, Yakupov, he was a solid guy. A/C/C. Now he's 88 overall and he increased his potential being it A/B-/C-.

I like how he progresses, put him on the powerplay and man oh man he is unstoppable.
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Old 12-25-2011, 08:59 PM   #55
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnyrocks
Hold on a minute? This is strange, when I picked up my man, Yakupov, he was a solid guy. A/C/C. Now he's 88 overall and he increased his potential being it A/B-/C-.

I like how he progresses, put him on the powerplay and man oh man he is unstoppable.
I drafted him and he was a C/C/C, go figure.
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Old 12-25-2011, 11:29 PM   #56
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Re: Re igniting a franchise. An NHL 12 Flames be a GM.



A special game

Perhaps Flames fans had this date circled on their calendars, and perhaps not but this is the first meeting between former captain Jarome Iginla and the new look Calgary Flames.

Calgary Flames at Tampa Bay Lightning
Oct 16, 2013123OTF
CGY (3-1-1)11114
TAM (3-2-0)12003
Three Stars
Brett Connolly
2 goals 1 assist 5 shots +2
Rene Bourque
1 goal 1 assist 2 shots +2
Vincent Lecavalier
2 assists 1 hit
Team Stats Comparison
CGYTAM
Shots on Goal2217
Hits167
Faceoffs Won-Lost167
Penalty Minutes4:002:00
Power Plays Converted01
Power Play Opportunities12
Time on Attack4:464:14
Scoring Summary
FIRST PERIOD
TAM7:51 M. Provencher (1), (Unassisted)
CGY12:27 Rene Bourque (3), (Brett Connolly, Jonathan Huberdeau)
SECOND PERIOD
CGY11:32 Brett Connolly (1), (Jonathan Huberdeau, Rene Bourque)
TAM13:18 S. Downie (1), (V. Lecavalier, M. Gilroy)
TAM15:41 S. Stamkos (4), (J. Iginla, V. Lecavalier)
THIRD PERIOD
CGY3:17 Patrick Elias (3), (Alex Tanguay, Anton Babchuk)
OVERTIME
CGY1:02 Brett Connolly (2), (Lubomir Visnovsky)
Calgary Flames - Goalies
GOALIESSHOTSSAVESSV %GAA
Jonathan Bernier171482%2.95
Calgary Flames - Skaters
SKATERSTOIGA+/-SOGPIM
Brett Connolly20:5221250
Rene Bourque16:2611220
Jonathan Huberdeau18:1902110
Lubomir Visnovsky20:2101210
Anton Babchuk17:1001010
Alex Tanguay16:2301112:00
Patrick Elias20:3210130
Tampa Bay Lightning - Goalies
GOALIESSHOTSSAVESSV %GAA
D. Leneveu221882%3.93
Tampa Bay Lightning - Skaters
SKATERSTOIGA+/-SOGPIM
V. Lecavalier17:0602-100
J. Iginla22:2701-110
S. Downie14:3610-110
S. Stamkos23:5610150
M. Gilroy29:4001-200
M. Provencher8:0010110

Iginla spoke to a few former teammates that still wear a Flames jersey and even took time to meet the three young guns, Connolly, Huberdeau and Austin to pass along words of wisdom to the young men.

Huberdeau on meeting Iginla: You know it didn't matter who he used to play for, when a guy like Iginla goes out of his way to find you and talk to you, you damn well stand there and listen to what the man says. He’s been an impact player in this league for a long time and it was a very classy move on his part to find the three of us and take the time to talk about being a Flame and what it meant to him.

That is something special I think I will hold with me for a long time to come.
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