By Sean Evans (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: September 15, 2011
Print Edition: September 14, 2011
Its exam time for the Abbotsford Heat. The Calgary Flames, with whom the Heat find themselves affiliated, opened their 2011 prospects camp this past weekend. Thirty players are taking part in the week-long event: three goalies, nine defencemen and 18 forwards. Players began off the ice with fitness testing at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Friday. Following an on-ice session in Calgary on Saturday morning, the festivities moved to the Okanogan for the Young Stars Tournament, which runs September 11th – 14th. The tournament will see the prospects face off against the rookies of the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. Some notable Heat talent will try to make the jump to the NHL for the 2011-12 season.
Defenceman TJ Brodie is one such player. In the 2010-11 season, Brodie was an impact player for the Heat. An offensive defenceman, Brodie provided the Heat with 29 assists and a plus three rating in 68 games. Many of those points came on the power play, which Brodie quarterbacked from the blue line. Five-on-five, Brodie was paired with Christopher Breen and the duo were consistently relied upon to shut down the oppositions’ first line.
As a good puck moving defenceman with excellent skating abilities, all Brodie lacks is the size necessary to stand his ground in the NHL. At 6’1”, Brodie weighs in at just 183lbs, not quite big enough to be a force in the defensive zone in an NHL game. That said, there is a good chance that Brodie could be a member of the Calgary Flames at the outset of this season, which would be a great loss for the Heat. If not, Brodie will start with the Heat, and is likely the first defenceman to be called up to the Flames in the event of an injury.
Another player hoping to impress the Flames coaching staff is right-winger Greg Nemisz. Playing in his rookie season with the Heat last season, Nemisz finished fourth in scoring with 14 goals and 19 assists in 68 games. He so impressed former head coach Jim Playfair last season that he received time on the power play and penalty kill, scoring three short handed goals and five more on the power play. Nemisz also got to play with the big boys, recording one assist in six games with the Flames.
Known for his ability to bring the puck to the net, his strong defensive play and his ability to play a two-way game, Nemisz, again, only lacks in size. Still, he has a chance of starting with the Flames this October. He would, however, have to impress management enough to depose a current member of the Flames roster. With salary-cap issues, the two-way contract to which Nemisz is signed could influence the decision made. That said, Nemisz would likely benefit more from staying on with the Heat on the first or second line, rather than from playing five minutes a game on the fourth line with the Flames.
The Heat will wrap up the preseason on October 7th, playing the Lake Erie Monsters on the road.
