Weekend Open Thread: Build Your AHL Adirondack Depth Chart

The Calgary Flames has a lot of kids battling for jobs at both levels of the organization this upcoming season. While more than a few are going to get a cup of coffee with the big team at some point due to injury and such, the truth there is probably only one or two FT jobs available for the hopefuls. That means an interest roster for the Adirondack Flames.

Calgary’s AHL club has lost a few veterans but is also getting an infusion of youngsters, including Bill Arnold, Ryan Culkin, Brett Kulak, Emile Poirier and (maybe) a full season of Patrick Sieloff to boot. Add in sophomores like Corban Knight, Ben Hanowski and John Ramage and you have a pretty decent (but pretty young) roster to work with.

For now, here’s how I picture the depth chart shaping up to start the season:

You can probably swap Baertschi and Granlund without much issue and the entire right side is more or less fungible. The top-3 centers are also all pretty good, so I’d hope at least one guy pokes his head above the crowd and makes it almost impossible for the Flames to keep him on the farm forever. If the Flames end up signing Kevin Hayes, you can put him in place of Wolf or Poirier in the top-6. 

Tyler Wotherspoon might make the show as a 7th d-man, but I think the org would rather he play every night rather than sit in the press-box. Sena Acolatse is a 24-year old AHL veteran who played in the Sharks system previously. I don’t think he has NHL upside, but he will probably start ahead of the younger guys in the rotation by virtue of his age and experience.  

Notable absent: John Gaudreau, whom I assume will make the team out of camp. If he doesn’t, I expect either one of Granlund or Baertschi to be on the big team instead.

What does your Adirondack Flames depth chart look like? Share in the comments.