Scouting young players has been a big part of his job prior to his promotion
Craig Conroy’s draft-day memory didn’t include fanfare and a trip to the stage for a group photo with the team brass smiling.
When the Flames GM was selected in the sixth round, 123rd overall, by the Montreal Canadiens during the 1990 draft held in Vancouver, he was on the other side of the continent.
Conroy, who was readying to move from high school to Clarkson University, was visiting his father in North Carolina and helping out during a running race when his mother phoned from New York and told them somebody was looking for him.
A long-time Canadiens fan, Conroy thought it was a prank.
“They said Serge Savard was looking for me and I thought it was a joke. It didn’t take long for me to find out it wasn’t a joke,” he said.
Instead of being greeted on draft day by a hall of famer, Conroy was sent all the paraphernalia, notably a jersey and a bag he still has “in the basement somewhere”.
“I thought, maybe one day I’ll be able to play in the Forum, and I’m glad I was able to do it,” Conroy said of that whirlwind experience.
This week in Nashville, Conroy will be a big part in making a dream come true for a handful of players when the Flames unveil their selections. The Flames own the 16th pick in the first round, which will be held Wednesday. Calgary currently has four other selections on Thursday.
What all is in store for Conroy during his first draft at the helm remains to be seen — he has a handful of veteran players who are being dangled for trades and a bunch of contract work to do — but the draft itself is not foreign territory.
“That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 12 years,” he said. “The one place I feel really good about is during the draft. I’ve gone to the Under-18s, the world juniors, watched a lot of junior games. The scouts do so much work and they’ve seen these players seven, eight however many times, and a lot of GMs have seen them only a few times. Watching those young players was a major part of my job.”
Obviously, he won’t tip his hand who the Flames will take, but Conroy — a center during his career — believes the biggest key is goaltending, then centres, defensemen and finally wingers.
Looking at their prospect pool, it is fair to say the Flames are most in need for a center.
“It’s hard to find top centres,” he said. “Really, you have to draft them, and often in the top five or 10. It’s hard to trade for them.”
