Folks, National Hockey League training camps can be an intimidating time for a young hockey player. After a carefree summer full of relaxation – and usually some pretty intensive workouts, too – you’re suddenly on the ice with bonafide NHL stars.

But for five Calgary Flames players, all youngsters, training camp and pre-season games served as an opportunity to showcase how far they’ve come over the past months or years.

Here are the five players whose stock rose the most during the pre-season.

When camp began, Flames brass spoke openly about Honzek, the club’s 2023 first-rounder, likely heading to play with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers as he transitioned to pro hockey. But the possibility remained that Honzek, who was limited to just 38 regular season and playoff games with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants last season due to injury, might need to go back to junior as an overager to keep developing.

Well, not only did Honzek’s stellar play spare him the slight indignity of going back to junior, it also earned him a spot on the Flames’ opening night roster. We’re not entirely sure how long the 19-year-old Honzek will be sticking around – the NHL is a tough place to develop and he’s played all of three pro games in North America – but coming off a frustrating 2023-24 season, it’s a huge validation for the hard work and perseverance Honzek’s shown over the past couple of years as he’s worked back from injuries.

(Bonus stick-tap to Honzek’s countryman Martin Pospisil, a second-year NHLer who spent the summer working out with Honzek and motivating him.)

When Morton signed with the Flames back in the spring, you could be forgiven if you didn’t know who he was – it kind of became a running gag on Barn Burner. After six years of college, a figure bumped up by COVID-19 extending a lot of players’ NCAA eligibility windows, Morton had established himself as a really toolsy forward and a reliable scorer at the college level. He was one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award… but he was one of the oldest members of that top 10.

When college players head to the AHL, the question is always “Hey, can they translate their college game to the pros?” Morton quickly adapted to become one of the Wranglers’ most reliable forwards down the stretch and his play made it basically impossible for head coach Trent Cull to rotate him out. (Several other players on late-season try-out deals played just one or two games overall, Morton played 19.)

In the pre-season, Morton continued to show poise and growth. With Cole Schwindt claimed off waivers by Vegas, suddenly Morton could be a phone call away from the NHL.

Acquired in the Chris Tanev trade with Dallas, Grushnikov is hoped to be another Tanev-esque physical defensive defender. Lauded by teammates in AHL Texas for his character, Grushnikov spent the last parts of last season figuring out the Wranglers’ systems and where he fit in… only to be injured late in the regular season and miss the playoffs.

Grushnikov bounced back, though, and emerged as one of the Flames’ most quietly effective players in pre-season. While some of the other blueliners on their reserve list may be a bit more flashy from an offensive standpoint – we’re looking at you, Jeremie Poirier, Henry Mews, Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and others – Grushnikov offers a really effective compliment to those players.

This year’s camp indicates he may not be too far away from an NHL opportunity.

Speaking of blueliners that had strong camps…

Acquired from Vancouver in the Elias Lindholm trade, the scouting consensus on Brzustewicz was “great offensive instincts, needs work away from the puck.” While he had posted crazy-good offensive numbers in the Ontario Hockey League – only Parekh had more points among OHL blueliners last year – his ability to defend had drawn some criticism, and the expectation was that he’d look a bit out of place against pre-season opponents and need some AHL time to round out his game.

Well, that didn’t happen at all, as Brzustewicz looked quite well-rounded in exhibition outings, even road games against opposition lineups filled with actual NHL players. He’ll need a bit of time with the Wranglers to develop physically, as he did have some troubles dealing with opponents’ speed at times, but in terms of instincts in all three zones, he looked great.

Finally, this Calgary product joined the Flames via the 2024 NHL Draft after a season terrorizing opponents with the Western League’s Medicine Hat Tigers. And when we say “terrorizing,” we mean playing a style of hockey that combines a high level of skill with a tenacity, determination and ferocity that had opponents groaning with frustration late in games after battling with him for three periods.

That playing style can work in the WHL when you’re playing against actual children, but there’s no way Basha could bring that to the NHL pre-season, right? Well, he wasn’t entirely the way he was in the WHL – bowling over 200 pound adults is different than doing it against 17-year-olds in the Dub, after all – but the fearlessness that made Basha so effective in junior was front and centre. Playing in NHL games with NHL linemates against NHL opponents, Basha didn’t look out of place at all.