Home > 2018 > 02/20 > FlamesNation Prospect Update: Olympic breaks and big comebacks
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Photo Credit: Judy Simpson/Tri City Americans

FlamesNation Prospect Update: Olympic breaks and big comebacks

| Ryan Pike

The Calgary Flames continue their season and their prospects throughout the hockey world are creeping towards the end of their various seasons. Except for the Europeans, as the Olympics has halted play in much of their professional leagues. Here’s a quick glance at how the Flames’ prospects did this past week.

In case you missed it

Rasmus Andersson – D, Stockton Heat, AHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 42 6 24 30 19 17 12 27.52
Change from last week 2 2 1 3 3 3 3 +1.51

I’m beginning to think Andersson’s days in the American Hockey League are numbered. He was superb over the weekend, especially in the second half of Stockton’s 5-4 comeback win on Friday night. The Heat were down 4-1 after 40 minutes and Andersson seemed to say, “Let’s win this.” He scored two goals and set up another to tie things up and send things to overtime.

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Austin Carroll – RW, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 23 4 1 5 5 5 5 8.02
Change from last week 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 +0.68

Carroll returned to action after missing last week’s pair of games due to a minor injury. He had a goal and was otherwise solid, if unspectacular.

Dillon Dube – C/LW, Kelowna Rockets, WHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 41 27 32 59 30 44 22 34.22
Change from last week 3 2 1 3 1 2 1 -0.82

It says a lot that Dube’s NHLe dropped despite him going a point-per-game this week, but he’s a special player. He continues to play a big role for one of the WHL’s top clubs.

Zach Fischer – RW, Spokane Chiefs, WHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 46 22 14 36 25 25 20 18.61
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fischer has suffered an upper-body injury and missed Spokane’s games this week. The WHL website has him listed as day-to-day, so he’ll hopefully be back soon.

Spencer Foo – RW, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 45 13 13 26 13 22 10 22.27
Change from last week 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 +0.76

Foo had a fairly productive week, scoring the game-winning goal in Stockton’s 2-1 victory over San Jose on Saturday night. He’s had three or more shots in each of Stockton’s last nine games, suggesting he’s perhaps finally finding his offensive touch.

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Adam Fox – D, Harvard Crimson, ECAC

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 23 3 16 19 6 9 2 15.58
Change from last week 2 3 2 5 1 4 1 +1.01

Entering the weekend with zero goals this season, Fox notched a hat trick on Friday night (in a four-point performance). He added an assist in Saturday’s game.

Glenn Gawdin – C/RW, Swift Current Broncos, WHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 59 51 60 111 59 83 45 44.74
Change from last week 3 3 4 7 4 5 3 +0.58

Gawdin leads the WHL in points by a wide margin and has seemingly pulled away from second place scorer Brayden Burke. He’s usually good for a couple points in every game he plays and should he fall short he almost always makes up for it in his next game.

Josh Healey – D, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 34 0 2 2 1 1 0 2.27
Change from last week 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -0.07

Healey was a healthy scratch on Friday so that Oleg Yevenko could get a game in. He was rotated back in on Saturday night. He’s essentially a #6 or #7 defender in Stockton.

Jaromir Jagr – RW, Rytiri Kladno, Czech.1

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 5 0 4 4 4 2 2 18.37
Change from last week 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 -12.24

Young Flames prospect Jaromir Jagr turned 46 and then was injured this week, suffering a concussion. No word on how many games he’ll miss.

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D’Artagnan Joly – RW, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, QMJHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 44 17 34 51 29 42 25 23.76
Change from last week 3 1 2 3 3 3 3 -0.77

The Drakkar are not a particularly good team this season, so Joly’s getting a ton of ice time and chances to generate offense. He’s pretty reliant on special teams time this season, but he’s still managed to eclipse last season’s goals total with a fair amount of time remaining this year.

Pavel Karnaukhov – LW/C, CSKA Moscow, KHL/Zvezda, VHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
KHL current 11 0 2 2 2 1 1 11.03
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
VHL current 39 12 19 31 19 25 15 24.77
Change from last week 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 -2.06

Karnaukhov remains in the VHL, where he has one game remaining this season. His offense has dried up a bit, as he was once just over a point-per-game scorer.

Morgan Klimchuk – LW, Stockton Heat – X

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 44 13 14 27 17 21 14 23.65
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Klimchuk was called up to Calgary on Friday night and missed both of Stockton’s weekend games as a result.

Oliver Kylington – D, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 41 2 23 25 16 17 12 23.50
Change from last week 2 0 2 2 1 2 1 +0.77

Along with Andersson, Kylington helped fuel Friday’s comeback win with a big assist on the overtime winner.

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Linus Lindstrom – C/LW, Skelleftea AIK, SHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 34 3 1 4 3 3 2 5.60
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The SHL is shut down for an Olympic break right now.

Ryan Lomberg – LW, Stockton Heat – X

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 37 5 9 14 12 8 6 14.57
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lomberg is still in Calgary. He needs to stop fighting people bigger than he is.

Andrew Mangiapane – LW/C, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 35 19 22 41 23 30 19 45.15
Change from last week 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 +0.77

While Friday’s Stockton win was driven by Andersson and Kylington, Mangiapane scored a goal and assisted on Foo’s winner in their 2-1 victory on Saturday.

Mitchell Mattson – C/LW, Sioux Falls Stampede, USHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 42 9 11 20 15 18 13 10.93
Change from last week 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 +0.29

Mattson had a helper in Sioux Falls’ single game last week.

Adam Ollas Mattsson – D, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Up to date 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ollas Mattsson has been recovering from an injury. He hasn’t played since Dec. 6.

Matthew Phillips – C/RW, Victoria Royals, WHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 61 44 55 99 45 74 36 38.59
Change from last week 3 2 4 6 5 5 4 +0.46

Phillips has a point in each of Victoria’s last 21 games dating back to early January – a span during which he has 40 points. He’s still fairly reliant on the power play for points, but he’s been a huge part of Victoria’s success this season.

Emile Poirier – LW/RW, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 45 4 14 18 11 16 10 15.42
Change from last week 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 -0.71

Even with all the call-ups to Calgary, Poirier is still primarily playing on Stockton’s third line. He had an assist this week.

Brett Pollock – LW/C, Stockton Heat, AHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 24 4 2 6 3 4 1 9.64
Change from last week 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 -0.87

Pollock’s offense has cooled down from his previous weeks’ outbursts. He went pointless in a pair of appearances this weekend.

Daniel Pribyl – RW/C, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Still injured.

Rushan Rafikov – D, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 36 1 10 11 10 7 6 18.54
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The KHL is off for the Olympics.

Adam Ruzicka – C/LW, Sarnia Sting, OHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Up to date 53 32 29 61 34 52 30 28.31
Change from last week 3 1 1 2 2 2 2 -0.72

Sarnia’s slowed down as a whole over the past few weeks (and have been on the wrong side of some shellackings). Ruzicka had two points this week, continuing a bit of a cold streak for him.

Hunter Shinkaruk – F, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Up to date 44 13 10 23 14 19 13 20.15
Change from last week 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 +0.88

Shinkaruk isn’t having a great offensive season, but he had a productive week. His goal on Friday night was the game-winner in overtime, capping off a four-goal comeback for the Heat.

Hunter Smith – RW, Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Up to date 35 9 8 17 13 17 13 11.15
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Smith is recovering from an upper-body injury. He hasn’t played since Jan. 6.

Filip Sveningsson – LW, HV71, Superelit/SHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
SHL current 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Superelit current 30 14 21 35 20 27 16 19.13
Change from last week 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The SHL is off for the Olympics.

Eetu Tuulola – RW, HPK, SM-Liiga

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 46 14 9 23 9 17 8 17.63
Change from last week 3 1 0 1 1 1 1 -0.41

Unlike the other European leagues, SM-Liiga is still playing during the Olympics. Tuulola had a goal this week, but he also demolished a player with a big hit… over the boards.

Juuso Valimaki – D, Tri-City Americans, WHL

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 29 7 20 27 14 17 9 22.14
Change from last week 4 1 2 3 3 1 0 -1.69

Valimaki’s gradually getting his swagger back after returning from injury. He had three points in four games and was superb on Wednesday night against the Hitmen after a shaky first period.

Tyler Wotherspoon – D, Stockton Heat

GP G A P 5v5 P P1 5v5 P1 NHLe
Current 46 6 24 30 15 15 9 25.13
Change from last week 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 -0.27

Wotherspoon keeps playing a reliable but non-flashy brand of hockey for the Heat. It’s unclear if he has a ton of NHL upside, but he’s at least a consistent AHL contributor.

Jon Gillies – G, Stockton Heat – X

GP TOI SV% SA
Current 31 1658.85 0.915 869
Change from last week 0 0 0 0

Gillies is still up in Calgary.

Mason McDonald – G, Kansas City Mavericks/Stockton Heat

GP TOI SV% SA
ECHL Current 24 1358 0.892 619
Change from last week 0 0 0 0
AHL Current 2 124.35 0.909 55
Change from last week 2 124.35 0.909 55

With Tyler Parsons hurt and Gillies called up to Calgary, McDonald was brought up to Stockton and got two starts. He got a couple of wins, though he was shaky early on in Friday’s game.

Tyler Parsons – G, Stockton Heat/Kansas City Mavericks

GP TOI SV% SA
ECHL Current 23 1273 0.905 686
Change from last week 0 0 0 0
AHL Current 5 176.5 0.878 88
Change from last week 0 0 0 0

Parsons missed both of Stockton’s games due to injury. It’s not expected to be a long-term thing, though.

Nick Schneider – G, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

GP TOI SV% SA
Current 51 2889 0.886 1568
Change from last week 2 119 -0.001 54

Schneider played twice for the Hitmen. He lost both games. He’s given up four goals in each of his last four starts (and seven in his last 10 appearances).


10 Comments |

    • Cfan in Van
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      I watched quite a few Royals games last season and the one prior, when I lived in Victoria. He is, indeed, dynamite. His biggest draw-back is the “mite” part, because he’s tiny. I hope he’s able to stack up the pounds, because that’s what it’ll take for Next-Level-Phillips. He’s got to be like 140lbs.

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    • Sven
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      Its a shame they all play on the D line

      but then again..

      I would rather be icing this 6 foot 1 215 pound right shot defender:

      42 6 24 30 +19
      with an NHLe of 27.5

      then this 6 foot 3 215 right shot defender:

      60 2 2 4 -7
      with an NHLe of 6

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      • The Beej
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        At this point in his career it is far better to have Ras playing 25 min a night in crucial situations than playing 10-15 in the NHL.

        I understand you as a fan place far more importance in the short term success of the team such as “this year”. But regarding player development you have to take the long term approach to have lasting success.

        This only Anderssons second pro year. The first year is very transitional. The second is often the first year of real development.

        Have patience. Anderson will be up at the end of the year and will likely transitio to full time NHL next season. More Development time never hurts… just remember more is at stake than this season.

        The slow path development model resulted in 4 cups and 25 consecutive playoff appearances for the Red Wings.

        The quick path many clamor for on this site results in stunted development. See Lazar, Yakupov, and next Puljujarvi.

        Also I think you are misunderstanding the purpose of NHLe.

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  • KKisTHEproblem
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    What an awesome play by Kylington. His skating is absolutely NHL level. He is only 20. I don’t think he gets enough recognition because he’s being overshadowed by Ras but their NHLe’s are quite close. I know we hear about defensive miscues but he skates as good or better than Brodie and Brodie makes those errors constantly. So why not trade Brodie in the off season. We have a younger version for $730K/year. Between Andersson, Wotherspoon and Kylington, we can rejig the D to compensate for a loss of Brodie. He will bring value whether its picks or a top 6 forward

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    • Cfan in Van
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      I think it’ll be the ’19-’20 year that we see Kylington up for good. Next season, perhaps a few games to cover injuries and such. Since he’s still young, they can keep honing the defensive side of his game, and watch his progress.
      I don’t think they’ll be willing to trust even Ras or Kulak with a 2nd pairing spot next season, so I doubt they’ll trade Brodie in the off-season. And since I doubt they’ll trade him, I’d like to see if Brodie can find his game on his proper side with a different coach, as others have mentioned.

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      • The Beej
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        I disagree. Word is that Brodie is going to be moved at the draft for a F.

        We watch him all the time so his mistakes are a bit magnified but make no mistake he has huge value to the right team.

        I never like the idea of moving a player and “penciling in prospects”. Prospects should steal their spots and should get the right amount of development time.

        Look at the oilers. Penciling in prospects when they arent NHL ready results in 9 min a game and stunted development years you can never get back.

        I know lots of fans want to see Anderson take Stones spot but the Flames are doing things the right way and prioritizing Anderssons development.

        Gradually over time. Just watch. Andersson will have a spot next year as long as he can get the minutes. I agree with KK Kylington moves up to spot duty next year.

        Sticking to the development plans will help to ensure successful transitions making sure that players are actually ready (stats arent everything) and are put into a position to succeed.

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