Shedding some light on the 18 players trying out for the Flames

Part of the fun of training camp kicking off in earnest is checking out which players the Calgary Flames have invited.

There are 18 players on the camp roster that the Flames don’t hold the rights to. We’ve broken them down into a few handy categories for your reference.

These guys have jobs waiting for them. Granted, they could get bumped to the press box (or Kansas City), but they have contracts in their back pockets, so there’s arguably a little bit less pressure in camp.

D Kayle Doetzel: A 22-year-old WHL product, he played with the Heat last year. He’s a right shot (and a steady stay-at-home AHL blueliner), so he seems to be a good fit.

LW/C Brett Findlay: A 24-year-old who split last season between the Toronto Marlies and the awesomely-named Orlando Solar Bears. He’s nominally a winger but can play center. He was reportedly really good in a pinch at center for the Marlies a couple years ago.

C Rod Pelley: A 33-year-old left shot, he’s played 256 NHL games with Anaheim and New Jersey but is nominally the replacement for departed Heat captain Mike Angelidis. He’s reputed as a solid depth forward.

D Oleg Yevenko: A mammoth 6’7″ 26-year-old, he’s coming off an expiring entry-level deal with Columbus. He played four games on a try-out with Adirondack a few years back. He’s big!

(D Adam Ollas-Mattsson has also signed an AHL deal, but the Flames hold his NHL rights for one more season.)

All of these guys are retained from Penticton – at least for now – with the thought of gaining contracts. All but Hawerchuk have the option to play pro this year or return to junior as over-agers.

LW Sam Dove-McFalls: A 20-year-old left shot, he was drafted by the Flyers in 2015 but not signed. Played in the Memorial Cup in the spring with Saint John, then was traded to Rimouski.

C Glenn Gawdin: A 20-year-old right shot, he was drafted by the Blues in 2015 but not signed. A good all-arounder for Swift Current, he was easily the best walk-on Flames player in Penticton.

LW Ben Hawerchuk: A 19-year-old left shot, and Dale’s son, he plays with Barrie and is apparently an average OHL forward.

D Tyson Helgesen: A 20-year-old left shot, and younger brother of former Hitmen forward Kenton, he’s the Spokane Chiefs team captain and a fairly solid WHL offensive blueliner.

C Brad Morrison: A 20-year-old left shot, he was drafted by the Rangers in 2015 but not signed. He played for Prince George but was traded to Vancouver this offseason.

C Mark Rassell: A 20-year-old left shot, and frequent linemate of Flames pick Zack Fischer, Rassell had a very productive 19-year-old season on Medicine Hat’s top line.

These guys do not have contracts, and cannot return to junior – because some of them are quite old.

C Joseph Cramarossa: A 24-year-old left shot, he has 59 NHL games under his belt split between Anaheim and Vancouver (both last season). He was one of the NHL’s worst possession players last year.

LW Tanner Glass: A 33-year-old left shot, he has 511 NHL games under his belt split between five teams, but by this point is an AHL body. He split last year between the Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

LW Joel Lowry: A 25-year-old left shot (and a Cornell grad), he’s the son of Kings assistant coach Dave Lowry. Curiously, the Kings organization didn’t bring him back when his contract expired (despite his dad being a coach there). He could be a useful depth option for Stockton.

D Daniel Maggio: A 26-year-old right shot, he was drafted by the Rangers in 2009 but has floated between the AHL and ECHL ever since. He’s probably just a body for numbers at this point, but you never know.

D Dylan Olsen: A 26-year-old left shot, he was drafted by Chicago in 2009 and has 124 NHL games under his belt between Chicago and Florida. He dropped off the face of the hockey world last year, spending his time in Nanton with the Ranchlands Hockey League.

D Colby Robak: A 27-year-old left shot, this 2008 Florida pick played a bit with Stockton last season but ended up signing with Utica. He’s played 47 NHL contests.

D Sam Ruopp: A 21-year-old left shot, he was drafted in 2015 by Columbus but not signed. He’s captained Prince George for three seasons, but aged out of the WHL.

D Cliff Watson: A 23-year-old left shot, he was drafted in 2012 by San Jose but stayed in school for four years with Michigan Tech – where he was captain the past two seasons.