Calgary finishes with three forwards, two defensemen and a goaltender
After selecting forward Samuel Honzek in the first round and defensemen Etienne Morin in the second round, the Flames completed a true starting lineup — three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie — over the remainder of the affair in Nashville.
Here is a look at the other picks the Flames made.
Aydar Suniev, LW, 80th overall
The 6-foot-2, 192-pound product of Kazan, Russia, racked up 45 goals (which tied for the league lead) and 90 points in 50 games for the Penticton Vees en route to their second consecutive BCHL title.
Suniev, who was named to the all-rookie team and first all-star team. came to North America at age 14 with no command of English and is slated to go to University of Massachusetts-Amherst next season.
Amateur scouting director Tod Button’s told Sportsnet Fan960: “He’s a big, strong kid with really really good hands and can shoot the puck. And he’s got a physical side to him. He gets involved.”
Jaden Lipinski, C, 112th overall
A 6-foot-4, 210-pound forward, and Honzek’s Vancouver Giants teammate, Lipinski (pictured above in white) netted 19 goals and 51 points in 66 regular-season games during his second WHL campaign — more than doubling the production in his rookie season.
Lipinski is likely destined to be a bottom six player at the professional level, but the product of Scottsdale, AZ., who was ranked 38th among North American skaters by Central Scouting, is seen to have tremendous upside.
Button: “He’s more of a possession-type, cycle guy. He needs to work on his skating and has the work ethic. He comes from an athletic family, his dad was a college football quarterback and he could have played football, and we think the growth potential is there because he wasn’t exposed to high-level hockey growing up.”
Yegor Yegorov, G, 176th overall
A 6-foot-3 goaltender who played for Dynamo Moscow in the MHL — Russia’s top junior league. Yegorov posted a 9-4-0 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
This is the third time in four years the Flames have selected a Russian-born goaltender in the late rounds.
GM Craig Conroy to reporters: “He was high on Jordan’s list (senior goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet). He thought we’d have to step up to get him earlier and to get him in the sixth was exciting for us.”
Axel Hurtig, D, 208th overall
A 6-foot-4, 203-pound defenseman who played for Rogle in Sweden’s junior league, Hurtig posted two goals and eight points in 34 games.
The big, defensive-minded blueliner represented Sweden at the Under-18 world championships and World Junior-A Challenge.
Button: “He’s a bit of a project, but he’s got a great demeanor. He’s physical defenseman and really strong in his own end. Now, we’ve got to get him to branch out and add to his skillset.”