Report: Flames one of four teams in on NCAA free agent Spencer Foo
By Ari Yanover
6 years agoThe Calgary Flames’ roster isn’t yet complete. Even with the spectre of the expansion draft looming overhead, the Flames will still, in all likelihood, add to their roster.
It could come in the form of a trade. It could come in the form of a prospect. It could come in the form of a free agent. Or, possibly, the latter two combined.
Spencer Foo, a junior for Union College in the ECAC, is reportedly waiting for the expansion draft to conclude before he picks a team to sign with. And the Flames might be his choice destination.
Via Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts (#21):
Free agent forward Spencer Foo from NCAA Union kept his promise to wait until after the expansion draft before making a choice. Reports are it’s down to four teams. That sounds like Calgary, Detroit, Edmonton and Vegas.
Foo, from Edmonton, scored 62 points – 26 goals, 36 assists – in 38 games for Union this past season, held pointless for all of four games. He was second in points on his team, just one back of Mike Vecchione, a year Foo’s elder, who made his NHL debut with the Flyers towards the end of the 2016-17 season. Foo was also fourth in scoring across the entire NCAA, with the three players ahead of him – Vecchione included – in their senior years, while Foo was a junior. He was a 2017 Hobey Baker finalist.
If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s suited up for the Flames before. Foo was an invitee to the Flames’ 2016 development camp. Prior to then, he had back-to-back 25 point seasons as a freshman and sophomore at Union (and as a sophomore, he was second in team scoring, again behind Vecchione).
His recent offensive explosion certainly makes him an interesting player to go after, but there are other ways in which he could potentially be a fit for the Flames. At 23 years old, he’s at a similar age to much of the core group. At a listed 6′ and 180 lbs., he does have some size to him. And as a right-shooting right wing, there could be a spot open for him in the NHL in Calgary.
As Friedman said in his column, Foo is waiting to see the fallout from the expansion draft before deciding where to sign. There should be little doubt he’s vying for an NHL spot sooner rather than later, and sometimes, it comes down to availability. If Vegas claims a right winger from the Flames – say, Troy Brouwer or Alex Chiasson – then Foo’s chances of making the NHL right away could be that much better, should he go for Calgary.
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