Flames ink Martin and Elson

 

 

I noted this in the comments elsewhere, but the Calgary Flames announced the signing of camp invitees Trurner Elson and James Martin yesterday. The pair are both junior eligible players who slipped through the draft and were therefore available as free agents.

Defenseman James Martin turned some heads with his consistent play at the rookie tournament in Penticton. A team mate of Joey Leach and Max Reinhart on the Kootenay Ice, Martin can return to the club this winter as a 20-year old. This takes care of the apparent crowding of the Flames/Heat blueline that Martin’s addition to the pro ranks would have caused.

Turner Elson is a smaller, spark-plug type forward from the Red Deer Rebels. Although he weighs just 170 pounds, it didn’t stop him from compiling 124 PIM in his sophomore junior season last year. He also added 15-goals and 31-points in 68 games. Elson turned 19 a few weeks ago so has a year or two of potential junior eligilibty as well. Look for him to be returned to the Rebels in short order.

The contracts are standard three-year ELCs around the league minimum ($575,00 and $560,000 for Martin and Elson respectively).