A look at some skaters who aren't among the big names in Calgary's pool
With the smoke clearing from a somewhat tumultuous off-season, the Calgary Flames are kicking things into gear for the coming season.
While the veterans are hitting the links for the Celebrity Charity Golf Classic on Wednesday, the prospects will hold their medicals before taking to the ice on Thursday at Winsport and then heading to Penticton, B.C., for the Young Stars Tournament Sept. 15-18.
There are obvious players to eye closely over the prospects camp, such as Matt Coronato (the lone player in the camp to have played a NHL game), this year’s first-round pick Samuel Honzek, Jeremie Poirier, the defensemen drafted in the second round in 2020 and named to the AHL’s all-rookie team last season, and 2023 third-round draft choice, Jaden Lipinski.
With a prospects camp roster of three goaltender, nine defensemen and 13 forwards, there are plenty of skaters to watch.
Here are five other players to keep tabs on during the camp and prospects game.
Etienne Morin, defense
The 48th overall pick in this year’s draft collected 21 goals and 72 points in 67 regular season games and another 17 points in a dozen playoff games for QMJHL Moncton.
Morin is likely ticketed back to junior, but this camp is a perfect opportunity to see up close and personal Poirier’s offensive skills to emulate and work on elements of his game.
William Stromgren, left wing
A 2021 second-round pick, Stromgren (pictured above) is expected to spend the coming season in the minors for a first full campaign in North America. The 20-year-old from Sweden played in a pair of games last season for the AHL Calgary Wranglers after skating for Brynas in the SHL.
Stromgren has good size for the NHL game, and now begins to quest to develop his talent for it.
Adam Klapka, right wing
Speaking of size, the 6-foot-7, 235-lb., Klapka netted 13 goals and 25 points in 60 regular-season games for the Wranglers before adding four goals in nine playoff games. As much as the NHL is going to a speed game, there are places for those with size.
Klapka, signed as a free agent in May 2022, is a long-term project who may pay big dividends. Another couple of other big forwards in that regard are 6-4 Parker Bell (2022 fifth-round pick) and 6-3 Lucas Ciona (2021 sixth-round pick).
Rory Kerins, center
A sixth-round pick in 2020, Kerins, 21, last season collected 37 points in 38 games for ECHL Rapid City, and netted one goal and one assist in a half-dozen tilts for the Wranglers. Kerins will have the chance to be a full-time player for the Wranglers this season, and took a solid step forward in that regard with a strong showing during the summer prospects camp.
Kerins was a 43-goal, 118-point standout with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds in his final junior season, numbers that warrant a legitimate look at the next level.
Nathan Pilling, center
This year’s prospects camp is loaded with a litany of free agents — all three goalies, a half-dozen of the defensemen and a few forwards, most of whom were summer-camp attendees. Among them are high scoring forward Oliver Peer of the Windsor Spitfires and a couple of Calgary Hitmen in Oliver Tulk and Tyson Galloway.
Pilling, a Calgary product who is tagged to play for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, was very noticeable during the summer camp in a return from a season-ending broken leg.
Calgary's trio of Young Stars game will be broadcast on the Flames website and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
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