Quick hits from 2017 development camp

During the hustle and bustle of Calgary Flames development camp, we had the chance to briefly chat with a few players where the chats weren’t quite meaty enough to merit a full article here. That said, there were three chats that did result in a few notable quotes or nuggets of information. We’ve captured those morsels here.

Calgary’s sixth round selection in 2014, Ollas-Mattsson finished out his contract with Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League in the spring and made the jump to North America on a tryout with Stockton. He ended up dressing in nine AHL games and had a goal and an assist in that span.

So what’s the plan for 2017-18? Well, that’s up in the air. Ollas-Mattsson indicated that he has no contract anywhere for next season and his future will be decided in the next few weeks. In his chat with the media at the end of camp, Flames general manager Brad Treliving noted that they’d like Ollas-Mattsson to stay in North America – where he can work on his skating, something Treliving noted needed improving – and that the two sides would chat “in the next few days.” The Flames retain his rights through until June 1, 2018 – though signing him to an entry-level deal would make that point moot.

Calgary’s sixth round selection in 2016, Tuulola spent last season with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips but is headed back to his native Finland to fulfill the final year of his contract with HPK this coming season. That means he’ll get a chance to play professional hockey in a pretty good league, a challenge which he seemed very excited for when chatting with the media. Specifically, he cited the opportunity to play a lot and improve in different game situations.

Tuulola also noted that he’ll be headed to the World Junior Summer Showcase in late July to vie for a spot on Team Finland’s World Junior entry.

A veteran of four seasons with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, Doetzel went pro last season with the Stockton Heat and ended up playing 56 of Stockton’s 68 games. Playing primarily with Oliver Kylington, the right-shot blueliner was a very solid contributor on the backend for the Heat. It’s probably not terribly surprising to learn that he’ll be back for 2017-18 on an American League deal.

“After the season, I thought I had a pretty solid year, definitely,” said Doetzel. “Then after, I knew it was a good fit. I loved playing there; great people, great coaching staff, great everybody. As soon as I had the opportunity to go back, it was a pretty easy decision to say yes.”