After a rough opener, Calgary's prospects took a step forward in their second outing
With two games in the books at the Young Stars Classic — one lopsided loss and one overtime victory — the Calgary Flames prospects will enjoy a lighter Sunday.
Before the Flames hopefuls conclude their portion of the tournament Monday morning against the Winnipeg Jets prospects (11 a.m. MT) in Penticton, B.C., it’s a opportunity to reflect on the first couple of clashes.
After a 7-1 loss to the Canucks on Friday, in which a much more experienced Vancouver squad broke the game open with a four-goal third period, the Flames responded by dropping the Oilers 4-3 in overtime Saturday night.
Calgary’s skaters appeared more comfortable in their second game, likely in part due to more familiarity as well as facing a more equal squad. As a result, they generated more scoring chances, tightened up defensively and played with more confidence
Here are six takeaways regarding the first two tilts.
1. Expect Matt Coronato’s third-period goal against Edmonton to provide a much-needed boost. Coronato is well aware the expectations placed upon him to make the Flames roster and under no false illusions he is expected to be the leader of this prospects team. He appears to be handling the scrutiny well, and a snipe of a goal will go a long way to easing his mind.
2, 3, 4. The trio of this year’s draft picks — Samuel Honzek (first round), Etienne Morin (second round) and Jaden Lipinski (fourth round) — at the tournament have acquitted themselves nicely. Honzek has shown flashes of the abilities that made him a first-round pick. His ability to work along the boards and protect the puck is very strong.
Morin is playing big minutes among a young group of defensemen (five of the eight will likely be in junior this season). He has provided plenty of flashes of his offensive abilities, including a hand on the game-winning goal against Edmonton. Without Jeremie Poirier in the lineup while he continues to recover from off-season surgery, Morin has been counted on to be a main cog on the power play and fared well.
Lipinski has been very involved and shown plenty of moxie and willingness to get in the middle of the action. His ability to play center also bodes well for his opportunities on a team that is lacking legitimate prospects who can skate in the middle.
Whether any or all play in NHL pre-season games remains to be seen, but all three have plenty to build upon.
5. Adam Klapka has been arguably the most noticeable Flames player, as he should be, and not just because he’s 6-foot-7. Klapka, who celebrated his 23rd birthday a few days ago, is one of the oldest and most experienced players in the tournament. He is likely headed to the AHL Wranglers for the season, but if he can continue to elevate his game, Klapka may be seen in Flames silks at some point this season.
6. A pair of goals for Ilya Nikolaev against Edmonton will go a long way to boosting the 2019 third-round pick’s chances of being a full-time skater for the Wranglers. Nikolaev, 22, spent almost all of last season in the ECHL (where he netted 13 goals and 33 points in 40 games), and was held off the scoresheet in five AHL clashes. He showed a good release on the first goal and a smart sense of getting to the net for his second. The Wranglers will have plenty of turnover from last season, and the opportunity to be offensive catalysts is there for the likes of Nikolaev and Rory Kerins.
