MatthewFlames
Registered User
Last year, the Flames traded their 2018 first rounder for the current Norris Trophy winning defenseman Mark Giordano. That pick had a condition - if it was a lottery pick then the Flames would keep the 2018 pick and give up the 2019.
Well, the Flames missed the playoffs, got in the lottery, kept the pick and won Andrei Svechnickov. Of course, who knew the Flames were lucky enough to win the lottery again? Not me.
After years of trading future 2nd rounders for current ones, and after making a decision to stop that trend, the Flames had no first day picks. The Flames made some half-hearted attempts to get into day one but nothing really stood out as a good deal.
After Day One, the Flames had a very short list of four players they coveted, and another six they liked as mid and late day 2 players. After that, there really wasn't much.
So, in an attempt to move up to 95, they traded two 4th's from 2020 for the 109 and 110, thinking those two picks and the 97 might be enough to get to 95, but Ville scooped that picked.
Unable to find other dance partners, the Flames settled in and hoped that 97 would get them their first choice and perhaps one or two of the other faves would fall to 109. Sadly, Ville did take a Flames target at 95 but luckily not #1 on the list.
97th Overall - Dillon Hamaliuk - WHL - W - 55th in the NHL to San Jose (+42)
A big winger, now 6'4" and almost 200lbs, Hamaliuk has very soft hands and high hockey IQ. He's a bulldozer who has improved his skating each year. He hits everything that moves. Has a NHL shot and improving playmaking abilities. Goes to the dirty areas and loves the front of the net. Coaches rave about his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone.
Early in the season, Hamaliuk was outscoring the big 3 (Dach, Cozens, Krebs) - 8 goals, 10 asissts, 18 points in his first 11 games of the season - before a concussion derailed his season. After a week away on concussion protocol he returned a shadow of the player that opened the season. It took a month before he returned to his early season form - right in time for a horrible knee-on-knee hit that tore his MCL from it's moorings on the bone.
Hamaliuk's season was done. And it was still 2018.
The Flames hadn't forgotten about him though and couldn't believe he didn't get drafted on day one. Pronman, who loves skill over all other attributes, had him at 44 on his list. Hamaliuk was consistantly rated in the top 90. He still got an invite to the combine and San Jose traded two third round picks to move up to 55 to nab him in the NHL draft.
Doug Wilson - Sharks GM "He’s got full power forward potential with hands and speed and size, and he really likes to get after guys."
109th Overall - Tuukka Tieksola - Finland - W - 121st in the NHL to Carolina (-12)
Is a 5'9"/5"10", tiny, skilled Finnish winger out of character for the Flames? If so, only because they've missed out on some similar targets in recent drafts.
Tieksola is a boom or bust prospect - somewhat raw but with flashes of brilliance. A great skater (redline had him as the 5th best skater in the draft) with high end skill and passing ability.
Inconsistent, though, and can go missing. But, reminds me of Jesper Bratt. Scored the 2nd most points ever in the junior league, more than Sebastian Aho, although quite a lot of that is thanks to his linemate, 2020 prospect Veeti Mietinen.
Seemed to play better in the International tournaments when the pressure was turned up against the big teams.
Jokke Nevalainen - “[Tieksola] owns great offensive tools which give him high upside. He’s a great skater who combines high speed with amazing agility. He’s also very talented with the puck on his stick, and he can make plays at top speed. He has amazing vision and passing skills which allow him to make passes that seem impossible to most players.”
110th Overall - Ben Brinkman - NCAA - D - 173rd in the NHL to Dallas (-63)
A year ago, the Flames added Brinkman to their 2019 draft favorites bookmark folder. Ben was being touted as a possible late 1st/2nd rounder. The Edina High captain had scored 40 points in 25 games from the back end. And the kid is smart, smart enough to graduate high school and play in the NCAA as a true 17-year-old freshman (the youngest player in Div 1 this past season.)
And while that choice may be good for his long term development - it hampered his NHL draft outlook. Like two other recent Flames picks, AJ Greer and Ryan Poehling, who played as 17-year-olds, the Flames hope these struggles are just inexperience related, and because they played against men.
Brinkman struggled out of the gate and remained tentative until mid-season.
He blossomed in the final third, though he didn't find his offensive game. By the end of the season he worked his way from the third pairing to the first. Flames hope the puck abilities return as he grows and remain super excited about the long term potential.
The Hockey News - "Brinkman is an aggressive defender who skates well for a 215-pounder. His game is all about power, whether it be his absolute cannon of a shot or his ability to flatten a forward in the defensive zone."
149th Overall - Reece Newkirk - WHL - W/C - 147th in the NHL to Islanders (+2)
Newkirk is an average sized winger who benefited from playing alongside some super talented players who may have inflated his numbers. Regardless, he's aggressive, a tireless worker, and already a strong two-way player. He could turn out to be a nice complimentary player in the NHL because of his work-rate, forechecking, and ability to play with other skill players. A great character guy who may have hidden puck skills. Was unrated to start the season and moved as high as top 90 on some lists by the draft. I always like the late risers.
Portland Bio " Newkirk is an all-situations player who has a knack for getting to the net. Just as important is his willingness to battle on the forecheck and retrieve pucks. He plays with an edge and he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts on both ends of the ice"
199th Overall - Ben McCartney - WHL - W - Undrafted
Like Dillion Hamaliuk, Ben McCartney is a north-south winger with good hands. His skating has really improved but it needs to improve more. A high-character player who uses his body to gain advantage and went from off-the-charts to being central scoutings biggest riser (from mid term to final rankings.). He's a player whose role was to drop the gloves and go toe-to-toe with anybody but he's shown a surprising amount of puck skill. Is there a bottom-6 NHL'er hidden away here? Reminds me of Michael Ferland.
200th Overall - Owen Lindmark - USNDT - C - 137th in the NHL to Florida (+63)
Another real character player who does it all and does it well. He accepted his bottom 6 role behind the superstars of the US National team with grace and excelled in that role. A tireless worker who went surprisingly high in the NHL draft and ahead of some more highly touted teammates. Needs some development time and his high hockey IQ should serve him well. Strong in the face-off circle, he won almost 70% of his draw's in the World under 18's.
Well, the Flames missed the playoffs, got in the lottery, kept the pick and won Andrei Svechnickov. Of course, who knew the Flames were lucky enough to win the lottery again? Not me.
After years of trading future 2nd rounders for current ones, and after making a decision to stop that trend, the Flames had no first day picks. The Flames made some half-hearted attempts to get into day one but nothing really stood out as a good deal.
After Day One, the Flames had a very short list of four players they coveted, and another six they liked as mid and late day 2 players. After that, there really wasn't much.
So, in an attempt to move up to 95, they traded two 4th's from 2020 for the 109 and 110, thinking those two picks and the 97 might be enough to get to 95, but Ville scooped that picked.
Unable to find other dance partners, the Flames settled in and hoped that 97 would get them their first choice and perhaps one or two of the other faves would fall to 109. Sadly, Ville did take a Flames target at 95 but luckily not #1 on the list.
97th Overall - Dillon Hamaliuk - WHL - W - 55th in the NHL to San Jose (+42)
A big winger, now 6'4" and almost 200lbs, Hamaliuk has very soft hands and high hockey IQ. He's a bulldozer who has improved his skating each year. He hits everything that moves. Has a NHL shot and improving playmaking abilities. Goes to the dirty areas and loves the front of the net. Coaches rave about his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone.
Early in the season, Hamaliuk was outscoring the big 3 (Dach, Cozens, Krebs) - 8 goals, 10 asissts, 18 points in his first 11 games of the season - before a concussion derailed his season. After a week away on concussion protocol he returned a shadow of the player that opened the season. It took a month before he returned to his early season form - right in time for a horrible knee-on-knee hit that tore his MCL from it's moorings on the bone.
Hamaliuk's season was done. And it was still 2018.
The Flames hadn't forgotten about him though and couldn't believe he didn't get drafted on day one. Pronman, who loves skill over all other attributes, had him at 44 on his list. Hamaliuk was consistantly rated in the top 90. He still got an invite to the combine and San Jose traded two third round picks to move up to 55 to nab him in the NHL draft.
Doug Wilson - Sharks GM "He’s got full power forward potential with hands and speed and size, and he really likes to get after guys."
109th Overall - Tuukka Tieksola - Finland - W - 121st in the NHL to Carolina (-12)
Is a 5'9"/5"10", tiny, skilled Finnish winger out of character for the Flames? If so, only because they've missed out on some similar targets in recent drafts.
Tieksola is a boom or bust prospect - somewhat raw but with flashes of brilliance. A great skater (redline had him as the 5th best skater in the draft) with high end skill and passing ability.
Inconsistent, though, and can go missing. But, reminds me of Jesper Bratt. Scored the 2nd most points ever in the junior league, more than Sebastian Aho, although quite a lot of that is thanks to his linemate, 2020 prospect Veeti Mietinen.
Seemed to play better in the International tournaments when the pressure was turned up against the big teams.
Jokke Nevalainen - “[Tieksola] owns great offensive tools which give him high upside. He’s a great skater who combines high speed with amazing agility. He’s also very talented with the puck on his stick, and he can make plays at top speed. He has amazing vision and passing skills which allow him to make passes that seem impossible to most players.”
110th Overall - Ben Brinkman - NCAA - D - 173rd in the NHL to Dallas (-63)
A year ago, the Flames added Brinkman to their 2019 draft favorites bookmark folder. Ben was being touted as a possible late 1st/2nd rounder. The Edina High captain had scored 40 points in 25 games from the back end. And the kid is smart, smart enough to graduate high school and play in the NCAA as a true 17-year-old freshman (the youngest player in Div 1 this past season.)
And while that choice may be good for his long term development - it hampered his NHL draft outlook. Like two other recent Flames picks, AJ Greer and Ryan Poehling, who played as 17-year-olds, the Flames hope these struggles are just inexperience related, and because they played against men.
Brinkman struggled out of the gate and remained tentative until mid-season.
He blossomed in the final third, though he didn't find his offensive game. By the end of the season he worked his way from the third pairing to the first. Flames hope the puck abilities return as he grows and remain super excited about the long term potential.
The Hockey News - "Brinkman is an aggressive defender who skates well for a 215-pounder. His game is all about power, whether it be his absolute cannon of a shot or his ability to flatten a forward in the defensive zone."
149th Overall - Reece Newkirk - WHL - W/C - 147th in the NHL to Islanders (+2)
Newkirk is an average sized winger who benefited from playing alongside some super talented players who may have inflated his numbers. Regardless, he's aggressive, a tireless worker, and already a strong two-way player. He could turn out to be a nice complimentary player in the NHL because of his work-rate, forechecking, and ability to play with other skill players. A great character guy who may have hidden puck skills. Was unrated to start the season and moved as high as top 90 on some lists by the draft. I always like the late risers.
Portland Bio " Newkirk is an all-situations player who has a knack for getting to the net. Just as important is his willingness to battle on the forecheck and retrieve pucks. He plays with an edge and he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts on both ends of the ice"
199th Overall - Ben McCartney - WHL - W - Undrafted
Like Dillion Hamaliuk, Ben McCartney is a north-south winger with good hands. His skating has really improved but it needs to improve more. A high-character player who uses his body to gain advantage and went from off-the-charts to being central scoutings biggest riser (from mid term to final rankings.). He's a player whose role was to drop the gloves and go toe-to-toe with anybody but he's shown a surprising amount of puck skill. Is there a bottom-6 NHL'er hidden away here? Reminds me of Michael Ferland.
200th Overall - Owen Lindmark - USNDT - C - 137th in the NHL to Florida (+63)
Another real character player who does it all and does it well. He accepted his bottom 6 role behind the superstars of the US National team with grace and excelled in that role. A tireless worker who went surprisingly high in the NHL draft and ahead of some more highly touted teammates. Needs some development time and his high hockey IQ should serve him well. Strong in the face-off circle, he won almost 70% of his draw's in the World under 18's.
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