By Tim Ubels (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: April 3, 2013
After months of speculation about the fate of longtime Flames’ captain and franchise player Jarome Iginla, the events of last Wednesday night let the hockey world know that a trade was imminent. Iginla was noticeable in his absence from the line-up as his Calgary Flames took on divisional rivals Colorado Avalanche at the Scotiabank Saddledome without their captain for the first time in over five seasons. That same evening, players on the Boston Bruins and their minor league affiliate Providence were late scratches for their respective teams. All the pieces were in place for Iginla to join an elite team from the Eastern Conference, and by Thursday morning, the deal was done.
However, in a shocking turn of events on that same morning, the Calgary Flames announced that they had not dealt Iginla to the Bruins, but rather came to agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Iginla was traded in exchange for Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in the 2013 draft, as well as two college-level prospects.
So as the dust settles on the Iginla trade, Flames and Heat fans alike may have questions about who these NCAA players are, and why Calgary pursued them in exchange for franchise icon Jarome Iginla. Their names are Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski, and they both are projected to one day play in the Flames’ top six forwards.
However, the honest truth is that these players are not blue-chip prospects. They will likely see more time with the Heat over the coming years, as their development continues to be slow.
This may not be what Flames fans were expecting, especially considering the circumstances that brought Iginla to Calgary in the first place – 18 years ago. Calgary traded aging superstar Joe Nieuwendyk to the Dallas Stars in exchange for high-end prospect Jarome Iginla, but no one like Iginla is even remotely available in today’s hockey market. Flames’ general manager Jay Feaster has gambled that these marginal prospects can play with the Flames one day, even if Feaster isn’t still with the Flames’ organization to see it happen.
Kenneth Agostino, the former fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is a tenacious puck battler who isn’t afraid of getting into those rough situations to help his team win. In the 2012-2013 season with Yale University, the native of Flanders, New Jersey, notched 15 goals, 37 points and 32 penalty minutes in only 33 games. Agostino’s good work ethic makes up for his small stature, as the 20-year-old has been a consistent point-per-game player since he started at Yale University three seasons ago.
Ben Hanowski, now 22-years-old, was a monster performer when he was in high school. The offensively-minded forward somehow managed to post 405 points in only 117 games while playing in Little Falls, Minnesota as a high schooler. Since then, Hanowski has spent the past four seasons adjusting his game with St. Cloud State. Not a very fast skater, Hanowski’s upside lies in his hard shot and solid playmaking skills. At the age of 22, Hanowski will be looking to turn pro soon, and with his contract expiring in mid-August of this year, the Flames need to focus on locking him up to a contract so he can showcase his skills in Abbotsford next October.
