Kid armour in shining
Flames call up top prospect Sven Baertschi
The numbers for Sven Baertschi border on the ridiculous in this his second season with the Portland Winterhawks.
In 47 games, the slick left winger has collected an unbelievable 33 goals and 94 points. For those math majors, that’s a two-point-a-game clip.
And now, the injury-ravaged
It’s important for the fans . . . that we don’t go overboard on expectations
FLAMES GM JAY FEASTER
Calgary Flames will see what their top prospect can do in the big league on an emergency recall basis.
“It’s important for the fans who don’t know him — and those who do — that we don’t go overboard on expectations,” general manager Jay Feaster cautioned, perhaps sensing the sudden uptick in optimism throughout the city after the news broke. “It’s a young man playing his first game in the NHL.
“We’re thrilled to have him in the organization. We think he’ll play here for many years. But it shouldn’t be looked at as ‘here comes the first-round pick to save the team and lead us into the playoffs.’ Those types of expectations and pressure shouldn’t be heaped on this young man.”
But Flames fans can be forgiven for dreaming, even a little, of a knight in shining armour who just happens to be named Sven.
Calgary sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, and every game is vital if this team is to have a chance at a playoff spot.
The number of Calgary forwards in sick bay is staggering. Seven are sidelined with various and sundry ailments after Tim Jackman (upper body) went down on his first shift Tuesday against Montreal.
He joins Lee Stempniak (high ankle sprain), Blair Jones (cracked ankle), Mikael Backlund (shoulder), Michael Cammalleri (upper body), Blake Comeau (upper body) and Lance Bouma (upper body.)
The Flames hope Comeau, Bouma, Jackman and defence- man Chris Butler (thigh laceration) will return within five to seven days. Cammalleri is day-to-day. Jones is skating again and lobbying hard to return, but more X-rays and an MRI are needed to determine a timeline.
Baertschi must return to junior once two of the injured players return to the lineup.
“I’m so excited,” the 19-yearold said. “So pumped. It’s hard to put into words how you feel when they tell you something like that.”
The phone woke Baertschi from a deep sleep Wednesday morning at the Winterhawks’ team hotel in Kamloops.
“I was still in bed,” he said, in between bites of lunch with his Western Hockey League teammates.
“Travis Green, our assistant coach, called me and told me to get down to the rink right away.”
Upon arrival, Baertschi learned of his sudden — and unexpected — promotion to the big league. He boarded a flight late in the afternoon to Calgary and will practise today with the Flames.