What’s Heating Up – Notes From an AHL Insider

 

 

Sylvester – Walter – Nemisz

Rheault – Byron – Desbiens

Bouma – Laing – Meyer

MacMillan – Patterson – Howse

Piskula – Brodie

Wilson – Mikkelson

Henry – Breen

Irving

Ortio (GM 3 & 4) (Brown GM 1 & 2)

Sylvester – Byron – Nemisz

Meyer – Walter – Desbiens

Bouma – Laing – Rheault

Bancks – Patterson – Armstrong

Piskula – Brodie

Wilson – Mikkelson

Henry – Martin

Irving Ortio

Others: Wahl (1-1-2 Friday night)– ECHL, Ivanans – Could play soon, Kolanos almost healthy.

– There were a ton of scouts at the Abbotsford game on Friday night, and I’ve heard the Flames are shopping everyone not named Ken King from very peripheral sources. Weisbrod won’t put lipstick on a pig and he pulls major strings internally with player transactions. I’d be shocked if this team doesn’t add some picks and ship out some bodies in the coming months if the team doesn’t resemble a club that will be in the thick of a playoff hunt; but that’s more opinion that fact.

– Flames: Once Backlund and Carson are healthy there will be two more bodies sent down. (Smith??/Horak???/Carson Conditioning Stint??/Stajan??). It also probably only a matter of time before Ortio is the lone back-up to Irving, but there seems to be a desire that he has to clearly beat out Brown for the job… which will likley have to happen in practice as Irving has played all 300 minutes to this point, and will likely play Saturday (he did – ed.). Ward suggested a back-up would get into a game on the coming road trip that sees the club play four games in 7 days in Ontario and Michigan.

– Chris Breen has been outplayed by James Martin on a physicality and intensity measure, and will have a tough time getting regular minutes once another defender is assigned from Calgary. Wouldn’t be shocked to see this team move a defender (Henry, Wilson, Mikkelson, Piskula are all grizzled VETS, meaning anyone not named Brodie isn’t going to get much ice behind them).

– This will be a very competitive hockey team this season. Up untitl Saturday, they had allowed just 8 goals in 5 games… Boom.

– Nemisz has looked great at times this season. more consistancy and physicality has been showed (first AHL fight last week).  He and Walters, Desbiens, and Mikkelson are driving possession and scoring chances in a big way. Mikkleson especially looks strong against AHL foes, he’s not far off from NHL games… or he’s a stud in the AHL that won’t make it… not sure which.

– Howse is a recent healthy scratch in favor of Armstrong…not a fourth line type and not strong enough to break the top-six on the Heat currently.