The Calgary Flames boast three-consecutive quality drafts and are just now beginning to reap the rewards of their patience. There are a number of quality prospects already signed with the team that are either on the verge of playing in the NHL or are already there. Among them, Sam Bennett is at the top of the heap, and for good reason. Outside of the organization, there are numerous prospects that have yet to earn a professional contract and are using the 2015-16 season as a springboard towards earning one. Whether it’s the patience shown in waiting for Mark Jankowski to finally arrive, or a pair of interesting European prospects worth keeping an eye on, there are a number of quality prospects plying their trade that are worth keeping an eye on this year. Pro …show more content…
Top Prospect Sam Bennett, F, Calgary Flames (NHL) Without question, Sam Bennett is the Calgary Flames top prospect.
He earned top billing with his performance last year, and is expected to maintain a roster spot in Calgary full-time. Bennett fought through a difficult shoulder injury suffered in training camp last year, and after he returned from surgery and rehabilitation, Bennett was among the best players in the OHL last year. With the Kingston Frontenacs, Bennett put up 24 points in just 11 games down the stretch. After his OHL season ended, the 2014 fourth overall pick returned to Calgary and picked up three goals and one assist in the Flames surprising playoff run. Bennett had a strong training camp and showed that he is capable of playing anywhere in the lineup. To date, Bennett is being given another opportunity to maintain a regular NHL job within the Flames forward corps. His consistent work ethic and high compete level equates to significant playing time as Bennet has earned the trust of Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley. Moving forward, Bennett will need to shed the injury label and continue to produce in order to stick with the big club. NHL-bound Prospect Emile Poirier, F, Stockton Heat
(AHL) From one Flames first-round pick to another, Emile Poirier is hoping to join Bennett following a quality 2014-15 campaign. Poirier spent most of the year with Adirondack, the Flames former AHL affiliate, and tallied 19 goals and 23 assists, good for second on the team in scoring just one point behind Kenny Agostino. Poirier’s transition from the QMJHL proved to be a success, enough so that he earned his first NHL action last year. Working to become the Flames top recall option, Poirier’s offensive ability is matched by his intelligence on the ice. Formerly known as an offensive option, his recent success in playing a more complete game will certainly help him earn more games in the NHL should the Flames need help. Unsigned for 2016-17 Markus Granlund, F, Stockton Heat (AHL) Competing with Poirier to be among the first recalled to Calgary is Markus Granlund, who narrowly missed out on a roster spot after a strong training camp. Granlund has not been able to stick full-time in the NHL to date, but last season’s success has to be replicated if Granlund is hoping to earn another contract from the Flames. Caught in a bit of a logjam down the middle, he will need to demonstrate an ability to play in different situations, both on special teams and perhaps as a winger. The young Oulu, Finland native scored eight times and assisted on 10 others in 48 games with the Flames last year, but unless there is an injury or trade to shakeup the Flames lineup, the 2015-16 season will be a critical one if he hopes to stick in the NHL. Junior Top Prospect Rasmus Andersson, D, Barrie Colts (OHL) One of the most polarizing defenders in the OHL, Rasmus Andersson did enough during the Flames prospect development camp to earn his entry-level contract from the club. Much more than just a typical offensive defenseman, Andersson has a mean streak and a developing reputation for being a difficult player to handle. He was one of the breakout stars in the OHL last year, and finished fourth in scoring by a defenseman with 12 goals and 52 assists. Things look a little different in Barrie this year, with 100-point pivot Joe Blandisi (NJ) off to the professional ranks, the Colts still have high expectations and are relying on Andersson to carry the load on defense. He’s had a frustrating start, and is currently sitting with a minus-seven rating and just two assists in seven games. That said, Andersson won’t be held down for long behind a very potent offense in Barrie, and will look to continue his assault on the scoring leaderboard after he shakes off this slump. Bounceback Prospect Riley Bruce, D, North Bay Battalion (OHL) Late in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the Calgary Flames took a flier on 6’6”, 210-pound defenseman Riley Bruce. The Flames main reason for taking him should be obvious, as defenseman with his size and skating ability have the raw tools to succeed in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference. Bruce himself knows that often times, it takes longer for a defenseman to learn the trade and how to apply it, but under the direction of long-time OHL Head Coach Stan Butler, Bruce is already showing signs of developing as more than just a defensive stalwart. With just seven points in 109 career games coming into this year, Bruce finally notched his first goal and is on-pace for a career year offensively. With a number of his former peers playing elsewhere, playing time is ample and opportunity abounds. Unsigned for 2016-17 Pavel Karnaukhov, F, Calgary Hitmen (WHL) Entering his second season in the WHL, Pavel Karnaukhov is facing a critical make-or-break season. His first season in North America was filled with difficult obstacles to overcome on the ice as he attempted to adjust to life overseas. He did just enough in the regular season, 42 points in 69 games, to merit attention but it was his penchant for clutch playoff goals that rocketed him up draft boards. Taken in the fifth round in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Karnaukhov’s two-way play will be key in his development if he hopes to earn an entry-level contract from the Flames. Amateur Top Prospect Mark Jankowski, F, Providence College (HE) Immediately after he was drafted, Mark Jankowski unfairly took a lot of criticism as a perceived “off-the-board” pick. Since then, Jankowski has been a consistent performer and has shown glimpses of that first-round draft pedigree in his three years with Providence College. Jankowski has improved his overall point totals in each consecutive season, but it’s his two-way play and penalty killing ability that has Flames faithful hoping he can continue to develop into what’s typically expected of a first-round pick. Jankowski is entering his senior-year and is already off to a torrid start. Through his first three games, the Hamilton, ON native has two goals and five assists and already has the Friars thinking about back-to-back NCAA Championships. Unsigned for 2016-17 John Gilmour, D, Providence College (HE) Joining Jankowski in the Friars 2012 recruiting class is John Gilmour, one Flames prospect that has been an under-the-radar acquisition. Gilmour has been a consistent performer on the blueline, and is a big reason why Providence won the NCAA Tournament Championship last year. As a puck-moving rearguard, Gilmour’s influence on the offense can’t be ignored. With 13 goals and 29 assists in 107 collegiate games coming into the year, he’s proven that he can help lead an offense and will need to continue to pick up points if he wants to earn a contract from the Flames. Europe Top Prospect Rushan Rafikov, D, Lokomotiv (KHL) On paper, Rushan Rafikov’s stats don’t look all that impressive. That said, there is so much more to Rafikov’s game that has him squarely on the Flames radar. After drafting him in the seventh round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the Flames watched as Rafikov went on to rack up accolades. Rakifov was an alternate captain for Russia during the 2014-15 World Junior Championships, a tournament where he picked up one goal and two assists in seven games. Russia finished the tournament with a silver-medal, which was enough to put him on Lokomotiv’s radar for KHL competition. The former Russian Selects captain is a fierce defender but does have some offensive ability to make a quality outlet pass and contribute on special teams in the offensive zone. Rafikov is six games into his tenure in the KHL, and is making a rather big jump from junior-level competition. He is splitting the year between Lokomotiv, where he is given sheltered minutes, and HK Ryazan, where playing-time is plentiful. Unsigned for 2016-17 Adam Ollas Mattson, D, Djurgardens (SHL) One Calgary Flames prospect that has quietly gone about his business in Europe is the steady influence of Adam Ollas Mattson. Standing at 6’4”, Ollas Mattson has the reach and size to be able to stick with Djurgardens SHL squad for the full season. Last year, he split the season between the SHL team and his SuperElit team, where the defensively-sound Swede was a major influence in their J20 SuperElite Gold Medal winning season. He has done enough at that level to earn regular playing time in the SHL and is currently underway with Djurgardens. With just this year remaining on his contract, the 19-year-old will be an interesting name to keep an eye on heading into next year.
Sidney Crosby has played in tournaments representing Canada in all of them. He has represented Canada in juniors and men’s teams. For the juniors team he represented Canada in the U-18 Junior World cup in 2003. Than he represented
Fortunately for the NHL, they had/ have the Chicago Blackhawks, the Franchise to bring hockey back. The Chicago Blackhawks started the 2012-2013 series with a 24 point streak, meaning that they went 24 games with at least 1 point gained in each game. As many people don’t pay attention until the season has hit 20 or so games, the Hawks, had come to break the lockout of that particular attention span causing more attention towards not only the NHL , but for the Blackhawks themselves. As fans joined the progressing bandwagon, the NHL was gratefully coming out of the “drought” with numourus sponsorships with companies, and gaining profit from their
type of affect that injury will have on that player after his career in the NFL. If they have not
Nowadays in sports especially in hockey we see a lot of athletes come from across seas to play on Canadian and american hockey teams. Some of these players are premier athletes and
... have had lottery picks giving them a bright outlook for the future. This move almost secures yet another lottery pick giving them more young talent.
NFL teams are practicing lightly so far this year, training camp is multiple weeks away, and the first preseason game isn't going to be played for months. The new defense has not been completely installed yet and neither has the new offense. We do not know whether the special teams unit will be as effective as it has been the past several seasons because Chip Kelly's practice schedule is no longer in place to provide extra reps and the overall depth chart isn't even being considered at this point because players are currently sporting shorts and t-shirts on the field.
When I think of what it means to be Canadian, one of the first things that come to mind is hockey. This is true for many Canadian’s as hockey was and is an integral piece of the formation of the national identity. However, when people think of playing hockey their attention usually turns to the men in the National Hockey League or other top men’s leagues and tournaments. Even so, Canada has come a long way from its beginnings, when women were not even considered persons under the law until 1929. While it has taken many decades for women to receive more recognition in the world of sport, today shows great improvements from the past. A key reason that women are not treated the same way as men in regards to hockey is due to how the game began;
“The NHL (national hockey league) is not in the business of comforting people, they’re in the business of entertainment, and if fighting represents a way to differentiate themselves from an entertainment stand point, then fighting isn’t going anywhere” In the 2014-15 season 1,230 games were played, and out of those games 391 fights were in action. 29.91% of games had fights, 45 games had more than one fight. Taking fighting out of the game of hockey is too big of a risk. I think the fans will be disappointed and the entertainment level will go way down. In my paper I’m going to write about why fighting in hockey should stay and why people think it should also.
It is becoming more and more a trend for high school and underclassmen basketball players to forgo their college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Most professional sports have restrictions to limit mentally and physically immature players from throwing away their college education to be unsuccessful in the professional ranks. In the National Football League, NCAA football players are not allowed to declare for the pro draft unless they have been in the school’s program for at least three years. In professional baseball and hockey, although they do draft players straight from high school, they have a minor league system set up. These minor leagues allow players the time to develop and still play against an excellent level of competition. This helps their growth process so that when they get into the real big leagues, they are somewhat ready to play and be a factor.
When someone thinks of the sport of ice hockey, one of the first things they think of is the fact that fighting is a common occurrence in it. It is almost a guarantee that if you ask someone who is not an avid fan of the sport what their favorite element is, they will say something about the fights. A commonly heard and repeated quote is “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.” However, over the past few years the question of whether or not this component should still be allowed in the game has been a cause for argument and controversy. There are suggested pros and cons for what impact banning fighting from the sport of hockey might have, but for now nothing has been done to change the rules and regulations. The question to look at is, how has fighting in hockey evolved throughout history to get us where we are today, and should it remain in the game because of its history? Or should it be banned because of its history?
In my 8 or so years of playing football I’ve often heard coaches liken the job of the linemen to that of a soldier fighting in a trench, pushing, attacking, and struggling for every inch of the battlefield that is the line of scrimmage. Of course, the job of a lineman is far less dramatic and glorious than that description makes it out to be, most of our job is just keeping the defense at bay so the quarterback and the rest of the backfield has time to get a play off. Unfortunately for us offensive linemen, the defense has a much larger bag of tricks when it comes to the actual clash, they can grab, pull, or simply spin by while the O-line is relegated mostly to pushing with shoulder and hand. This can make things difficult if, for instance
The San Jose Sharks have been a team in the NHL (National Hockey League) since 1991. They were the first franchise to be based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have won the division title for their team seven times throughout the years.
room for many new top notch players. So all of the top recruits find other
The Chicago Bears decided to give him an opportunity and signed him as an undrafted free agent in April of 2013. From that point on, his NFL career could be characterized as being unsettled. On several different occasions, he has been signed to a contract only to be waived or sent to the practice squad. It should be noted that in 2014, Hurst was ranked as the 51st best corner-back out of 108 according to Pro Football Focus. He has just never seemed to be able to get over the hump and secure a steady place on the roster.
Are high school sports beneficial or not for students? I personally believe if a student is in a high school sport they’re forced to prioritize between school and their sport, and at a young age I believe the student would decide to use his time to improve in his sport instead of school. Which in the long run would affect his academics, unless they decide to stay up late and work on their homework to keep up with both school and their sport. But, even like that in time the lack of sleep would catch up to them, and cause them to do even worse in both academics, and sports. High school sports are like the lotto in my opinion, many play but only a few get rewarded for their work. Therefore, high school sports cause more negativity than positivity.