I haven't been to see the rookies skate yet. That won't stop me from commenting, though, since I can simply pilfer other folk's observations.
Form Mike Board's "official" Flames blog, reporting on yesterday's scrimmage:
From the get-go there were plenty of hits, plenty of runs at the opposition. And two dandy fights in a game that saw Black dominate Red with a 6-0 win...
Mikael Backlund, the Flames first round pick this summer, recorded two assists in the scrimmage. It is the second consecutive game in which he has had two helpers. Backlund broke through the neutral zone and received a pass just inside the blueline and hit a post before Kris Chucko banged home the rebound. Other scorers in the game were John Armstrong, Grant Stevenson (signed as a free agent out of San Jose in the summer and someone who could be on the cusp for a spot on the big team), Tomi Maki, Brett Palin and Aki Seitsonen...
Good to hear Backlund having an impact, albeit against other prospects in a scrimmage. And good to see Maki can score. At least, in training camp he can.
Goalie Brent Krahn, one of the contenders to backup starter Miikka Kiprusoff, missed the scrimmage to rest his knee...
That's right. Krahn has already injured his knee. Again. For the life of me I can't understand this re-signing. Krahn is 25, has been to 7 training camps and has seen precisely 0 NHL games. He was usurped by McL at the AHL level last year and is well-known only for being fragile. Not to mention, the Flames have a ton of viable goaltender prospects behind him (Keetly, Lalande, Irving). Useless.
Hard not to notice Justin Donati out on the ice. He is small but effective. Listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, Donati buzzes all over and collected an assist in the scrimmage on Monday. He scored a nice goal in a scrimmage on Sunday. He has hands as witnessed by his 91 points in the OHL with Toronto and Sudbury last season.
For those unaware, the Flames invited OHL forward Justin Donati for a try-out. He's relatively diminutive (5 10", 174 lbs.), but did manage to collect 93 goals and 200 points in his last 125 regular season games in the OHL. Might end up being a depth AHL signing.
Nystrom looked strong on his skates but tended to struggle with the puck.
Which is typically how I describe Nystrom whenever I see him play. Looks to have the physical tools, but never puts them together to make any kind of significant contribution.
This is Nystrom's final kick at the cat in the Calgary Flames organization I think. In fact, I was surprised he was re-signed when his entry-level contract expired. He's done little more than get injured as a Flames prospect and has yet to make an impact at the AHL level (90 GP, 17G, 35P). Point production isn't the end-all be-all for so-called "defensive specialists", but one hopes to see some kind of domination from prospects in the minor leagues before they get called up to the bigs.
He's one of the most senior guys at this year's training camp and he'll get a long look thanks to his position in the organization and his pedigree. With Taratukhin bolting, Nystrom is the most logical guy to push for that final roster spot on the Flames. If he doesn't make a good impression this pre-season, it might be fair to declare him a bust, once and for all.
More (second-hand) analysis as camp progresses...
