How did the Calgary Flames’ try-out players look in Penticton?

The Calgary Flames concluded the Young Stars Classic in Penticton on Monday afternoon, winning two of their three games overall. For this year’s edition, a good chunk of the 24 players they brought to the tournament were on try-out deals.

So how did those nine new faces look in their auditions?

Two invitees played in all three games, which is probably an indication that the coaching staff liked them: forward Nathan Pilling and defender Mikael Diotte. Neither registered a point, but Pilling used his speed really well as a forechecker while Diotte played a pretty composed game on the blueline and frequently jumped into the rush. (Diotte was unlucky not to get a goal during these sequences.)

Defender Quinn Mantei played two of three games, running the power play here and there, and his offensive instincts showed well when he was on the ice. Goalie Jari Kykkanen played half of the Winnipeg game and stopped all eight shots he faced. Praise for him should be a little muted since he was playing a pretty tuckered Jets team that was being out-played, but Kykkanen was effective nonetheless.

Two Hitmen players played a pair of games each: forward Oliver Tulk and defender Tyson Galloway. Yeah, Tulk’s small, but he worked well on the forecheck and his speed made him stand out. Galloway had a rough game against Vancouver – almost everybody did – but he did well in the Winnipeg game.

Defenders Charles Cote and Donovan McCoy and forward Oliver Peer played one game apiece. It’s tough to really say anything especially positive or negative about any of them, especially considering Cote and Peer only appeared in the Vancouver loss.