Flames rookies turn back young Oilers
The next time they step on the ice, it will be a whole lot tougher to stand out.
The Calgary Flames’ rookie campers should, though, be feeling good about their games after Tuesday’s final tune-up — a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers’ upand-comers at the Saddledome.
The next challenge is to show their stuff while sharing the ice with Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan and the rest of the regulars.
“We’re trying to give these players a chance to display their skill,” said Stockton Heat head coach Cail Maclean, teeing up Tuesday’s exhibition against the Oilers.
“But at the same time, we’re trying to give them the principles of the style of play the Calgary Flames want to see from them. If they can display those principles out there, they have the best chance of keeping this thing moving forward and getting into an NHL camp, and have a feel for what’s expected of them.”
NHL camp is next, with the big names officially reporting for duty on Thursday.
Most of the young’uns will stick around a while. How long, exactly, is up to them.
While most of these kids will be spending the winter in junior, or with the farm club, there are worse ways for the hopefuls to introduce themselves to the home crowd than with a win over their prospect peers from Edmonton.
The Battle of Alberta wannabes played 60-plus minutes of shutout hockey on Saturday in Red Deer before wee winger Matthew Phillips finally tallied for the crew from Calgary in overtime, but there was … thank goodness … a tad more offence in the rematch.
In fact, the locals started the scoring on the first shift of the night, with centre Glenn Gawdin chipping a puck past a flat-footed defender in the neutral zone, racing into enemy territory, and sizzling a blocker-side shot past Oilers goalie Olivier Rodrigue.
About six minutes later, Flames pivot Adam Ruzicka found himself alone in the slot, and after linemate Jeremy Mckenna found him with a pass, the 20-year-old — a threetime representative of Team Slovakia at the world juniors — roofed one of his own.
Ruzicka could have potted at least two more on the night.
In Calgary’s crease, goalie Dustin Wolf was perfect through two periods before Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard scored on the power play.
The 18-year-old Wolf finished with 18 saves (see related story). He will eventually be returned to the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. At the opposite end, the Flames peppered Rodrigue with 42 shots. Phillips fired one into an empty net in the final minute.
ICE CHIPS: Flames left winger Dillon Dube, the only rookie who has already skated at the highest level, was scratched on Tuesday. The 21-year-old speedster has nothing left to prove against the prospects … Free agent invitee James Malm, a go-to guy for the WHL’S Calgary Hitmen, was released from his tryout with the Flames. Malm’s audition was hampered by a lower-body injury.