One of the key members of the Calgary Flames’ front office could be a contender for a new gig. On Thursday morning, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal both reported that Flames assistant general manager Brad Pascall has been interviewed for the vacant position of general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.
The 55-year-old Pascall has a gigantic hockey resume.
He played as a defenceman, suiting up for four seasons with the University of North Dakota and being drafted in 1990 by the Buffalo Sabres. He spent three years bouncing between the American Hockey League and the ECHL before hanging up his skates after the 1994-95 campaign.
After retiring as a player, he dove head-first into the operations side of the game. He joined Hockey Canada as a staffer in 1996 and basically had his hands in every part of their Program of Excellence at various times. He was promoted to vice-president of hockey operations and national teams in 2010 and held that post, overseeing all national teams, until he was hired by the Flames in June 2014.
Pascall moved to the Flames to work under then-general manager Brad Treliving, and his role was to run the Flames’ development apparatus. Primarily that job involves overseeing the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, but it also involves making sure there’s constant development check-ins with all of the other prospects under the Flames’ umbrella. You can give a lot of credit for the number of players who’ve graduated to the NHL within the Flames system to the club’s amateur scouting and drafting group – and that’s well-warranted, they’ve done a great job. But also give some stick-taps to Pascall, as very few players have graduated directly to the NHL without spending time within the AHL or otherwise within the club’s system.
With Craig Conroy getting a two-year contact extension, Pascall’s immediate prospects for an internal promotion might not be bright, despite his strong performance in his role. So it makes total sense – from his perspective and Vancouver’s – why they would have a chat and see if he could be a fit for that opportunity.
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