Last season, the Calgary Flames went into training camp with the majority of their roster spots spoken for. But between a laundry list of injuries and some under-performance by established players, the parent club of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat went to the farm for players very, very often.

All-told, the 2011-12 season saw two major things happen: 16 different players spent time with both Calgary and Abbotsford, and the Heat learned that they can compete in the AHL even while missing their best players due to call-ups and injuries. Both of these factors will play into the run-up to the 2012-13 campaign.