By Tim Ubels (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: September 4, 2013
After the departure of the team’s biggest stars in Jay Bouwmeester, Jarome Iginla, and Mikka Kiprusoff, the Calgary Flames organization appears to have finally begun their long awaited rebuild – something their fan base has been calling for during the past few seasons. Flames General Manager Jay Feaster cleaned house over the past six months and in doing so has afforded the organization’s young talent the opportunity to make the jump to the NHL level.
With the Flames training camp just days away, Abbotsford Heat fans will have to say goodbye to a few roster staples from past seasons, with the likes of Sven Baertschi, Max Reinhart and T.J. Brodie all in the running for a spot in the big show this fall after impressive performances with the team last season. Combine this with the exodus of all three Heat goaltenders from last season, with Barry Brust signing onto the KHL, Danny Taylor joining the SHL, and Leland Irving signing a tryout agreement in the SM-liiga, and one has to wonder how the Heat will shore up their roster and if they will be as competitive as last year’s team.
The Flames organization currently has four netminders under contract who will be vying for spots at the NHL and AHL level. Joey MacDonald, 33, who filled in for the often-injured Mikka Kiprusoff last season, will be given a shot to start the 2013-2014 campaign with the Flames. After MacDonald, however, it will be a good struggle for playing time with Finnish goaltender Karri Rämö, 27, leading the fight after signing a two-year deal worth $5.8 million this offseason with the Flames. Although his salary would affirm that he is the frontrunner in net, Rämö will have to adjust his play from international rules to North American rules, which is a difficult task. The most likely candidates for a starting position with the Heat will be highly touted goaltending prospects Reto Berra and Joni Ortio, who will get a good look from management over the next few weeks. Jon Gillies and Laurent Brossoit will likely return to junior for more conditioning after training camp.
At the forward position, things will stay mostly the same for the Heat, with newly acquired players like Ben Hanowski, who was acquired in the Iginla trade, and Finnish draft pick Markus Granlund likely to crack the Heat lineup out of training camp.
Defense on the other hand will see a major overhaul from last season. Chris Breen, who has spent the past three full seasons with the Heat, will be the most experienced defenseman after the Flames decided not to resign Brady Lamb and Brett Carson. The rest of the team’s defensive core (Mark Cundari, John Ramage, Chad Billins, Tyler Wotherspoon and James Martin) combine for a whopping 78 games at the AHL level, and this young group will need to look to players like Breen for guidance and leadership as they adapt to the AHL level.
With so much fresh blood being injected into the Flames organization, it’s difficult to estimate the potential of both the Flames and Heat for the upcoming season; many players are unproven in this league and will need time to adjust their game in order to work well on their respective teams. Maybe the current crop of prospects will stabilize the team or maybe it will take a few years and a lot of patience. Only time will tell.
The Abbotsford Heat host a preseason game against the Canucks’ new affiliate, the Utica Comets, on Sept 22, and start the season on the road against the Lake Erie Monsters on Oct 4.
