PROSPECT REPORTS

Prospect Update: Ryley Grantham 01.04.09 Grantham Ryley Grantham will always remember the day he went from a pretender to a contender. On Jan. 8, the Moose Jaw Warriors traded Grantham and a fifth round pick in the 2011 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft to the Kelowna Rockets for Dylan Hood. “It was a great opportunity for me to go to a team that’s in the playoffs, and better yet that has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs,” said Grantham, who played 137 games over three seasons for the Warriors. ...more

Prospect Update: Mikael Backlund 09.03.09 Backlund Needless to say, Mikael Backlund would love to play many more games at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Backlund made his debut in a Calgary Flames’ uniform on Jan. 8 during a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Afterwards, the 19-year-old Swedish prospect was assigned to play for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. He then made his return to Calgary to play at the Saddledome last Sunday, March 1 and his Rockets upset the Calgary Hitmen 2-1. “It’s awesome to be here,” said Backlund, who has something to strive for next time he plays at the ’Dome after being held pointless in both previous contests this season. “Every time I’m in the Saddledome, I’m so happy to be here.” ...more

Prospect Update: Greg Nemisz 02.13.09 Nemisz Greg Nemisz is flying high as a member of the Windsor Spitfires this season. Following a 5-3 win over the Guelph Storm recently, the Spitfires boast an impressive 48-6-0-1 record to sit atop the Ontario Hockey League standings and first in the Canadian Hockey League rankings. “We have a great squad this year,” said Nemisz, who notched a goal and an assist against the Storm to give him 30 goals and 34 assists in 54 games this season. “It started early on and we kept it rolling. Now we’re looking for a really good playoff run.”  ...more

Prospect Update: Lance Buoma 02.02.09 Bouma Lance Bouma is a big, strong power forward currently with the Vancouver Giants. He is looking forward to a rematch with another WHL Titan, the Calgary Hitmen, when the Hitmen visit the Giants on March 6. Calgary took the first game in the series and the Flames prospect showed well. Now we wants a win. ...more

Prospect Update: Palin an AHL all-star 15.01.09

Palin

When Brett Palin found out he was named to play for Team Canada at the 2009 American Hockey League All-Star Classic, it took him a bit by surprise.

Palin will be the lone representative for the Quad City Flames at the annual event to be held on Jan. 26 in Worcester, Mass.

“It’s a great honour,” said the 6-foot-2, 203-pound blueliner. “There’s a lot of deserving players on our team. To be picked and to get to compete in an All-Star Game is an honour and I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn’t even thinking about it to tell you the truth. When I was told, it took a second to sink in. ...more

Prospect Update: A star on the ice in more ways than one

Aulie

Deciding which day means more to him -- Dec. 23, 2005 or Dec. 15, 2008 -- shouldn't be too difficult for Brandon Wheat Kings captain Keith Aulie.

The latter is the day one of his dreams came true. The former is the day he saved his father's life.

Canada National Junior Team coach Pat Quinn selected Aulie as one of his eight defensemen for the 2009 World Junior Championship because the stay-at-home blueliner is a rock solid 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds.

Aulie's size and strength are why his father, Bill, is alive today. ...more

Prospect news update: Three make world class grade

Wahl

Three Calgary Flame prospects, Keith Aulie (Canada), Mitch Wahl (USA) and Mikael Backlund (Sweden), have made their World Junior Championship teams and will compete at the anuual, high-profile tournament in Ottawa later this month.

We talked to Flames head scout Tod Button about the three players and their assets heading into the tournament. ...more



Prospect Report: Keith Aulie 11.29.08

Aulie

Brandon Wheat King Keith Aulie is fashioning his game after current Calgary Flame defenceman Robyn Regehr.

I always kind of liked the way he played,” said Aulie, a fourth-year defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. “If there’s one guy that’s similar to the way I play, I think that he’s that guy. He plays solid, plays from his own end, hits hard, can shoot, can pass and is a good leader.” ...more




Prospect Report: Kris Chucko 11.21.08
In his third season in the American Hockey League, Kris Chucko has set his sights on improving his game enough to eventually earn a call up from the Calgary Flames.

Chucko

Chucko started the season strongly with eight points in his first eight games with the Quad City Flames before tailing off a bit as of late.

“I expect to stay on the path I’m on this year and continue to work hard every day,” said Chucko, whose five goals and seven assists placed him third in team scoring through 18 games with the 7-10-1 Quad City squad. “When the opportunity comes, hopefully I’m one of the guys that they’re looking at.”

Quad City coach Ryan McGill said that Chucko has developed into a solid offensive contributor at the AHL level for Calgary’s farm team. ...more

Prospect Report: John Negrin 11.06.08
After suiting up for the Flames for a pair of exhibition games, John Negrin has his goals set a lot higher for next season.

Negrin

Before returning to the Western Hockey League for his fourth season with the Kootenay Ice, Negrin took part in his second training camp with the Flames and cracked the lineup for a 3-2 pre-season loss to the Florida Panthers on Sept. 23 and a 3-1 over the Phoenix Coyotes two nights later.

“When I was playing exhibition it was pretty exciting,” said the 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenceman, who the Flames picked in the third round (70th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. “Jarome (Iginla) got a goal and I was on the ice to celebrate with him. That was pretty cool. Little experiences like that make you want it that much more.”

Prior to his return to the Ice, Negrin received some encouraging words from Flames coaches and scouts. ...more PROSPECT STATISTICS Updated Feb. 21, 2009

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