August is winding down, folks, and in a few short weeks the Calgary Flames (along with 31 other NHL clubs) will be gathering for training camp. League-wide, we&#8217;re seeing the usual frenzy of clubs <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2023/08/28/should-the-calgary-flames-invite-a-player-to-training-camp-on-a-pto/">signing veterans to professional try-out (PTO) agreements</a>. Most of these players won&#8217;t make their NHL rosters, but are being signed nonetheless to boost up competition and fill out pre-season rosters.
The Flames likely won&#8217;t need to sign anybody to a PTO to meet the league&#8217;s pre-season roster requirements.

<h2>What&#8217;s a pre-season veteran?</h2>
The league defines a &#8220;veteran&#8221; for the purposes of pre-season games as someone who meets one of four criteria:
<ul>
<li>A skater that played in 30+ games during the previous season</li>
<li>A goaltender that played in 30+ games (or dressed in 50+ games) during the previous season</li>
<li>A first-round pick from the most recent NHL Draft</li>
<li>Any player that has played 100+ career games</li>
</ul>
Teams are required to dress eight (or more) veterans, as defined here, for any pre-season game. The rule probably has two thoughts behind it: teams shouldn&#8217;t be allowed to rest all of their regulars until the season starts, and since fans are paying for pre-season tickets they should get something vaguely resembling an NHL roster to watch.
However, typically the veteran requirement is waived for split-squad games, and in practice what actually happens is teams dressing their veterans at home and sending a skeleton crew on the road early in the pre-season. Case in point: the Flames had seven and five veterans dressed in their first two pre-season road games. (They dressed 10+ at home and in their two later road games.)
<h2>Which Flames qualify as veterans?</h2>
At this point, the Flames have 22 players that fit one of the requirements to qualify as a veteran player for the pre-season.
Skaters that played in 30+ games during the previous season:
<ol>
<li>Nazem Kadri [82 games]</li>
<li>Andrew Mangiapane [82 games]</li>
<li>Mikael Backlund [82 games]</li>
<li>Blake Coleman [82 games]</li>
<li>Dillon Dube [82 games]</li>
<li>Nikita Zadorov [82 games]</li>
<li>MacKenzie Weegar [81 games]</li>
<li>Noah Hanifin [81 games]</li>
<li>Elias Lindholm [80 games]</li>
<li>Jonathan Huberdeau [79 games]</li>
<li>Rasmus Andersson [79 games]</li>
<li>Yegor Sharangovich [75 games]</li>
<li>Chris Tanev [65 games]</li>
<li>Jordan Oesterle [52 games]</li>
<li>Adam Ruzicka [44 games]</li>
</ol>
Goaltenders that played in 30+ games (or dressed in 50+ games) during the previous season:
<ol>
<li>Jacob Markstrom [played in 59 games]</li>
<li>Dan Vladar [dressed in 82 games]</li>
</ol>
First-round picks from the most recent NHL Draft:
<ol>
<li>Samuel Honzek [16th overall]</li>
</ol>
Players that have played 100+ career games:
<ol>
<li>Kevin Rooney [227 games]</li>
<li>Dryden Hunt [202 games]</li>
<li>Oliver Kylington [168 games]</li>
</ol>
Brett Sutter, signed to an AHL contract with the Wranglers and likely attending main camp on a PTO, falls into the fourth category (and counts as a veteran). For the curious, the Flames had 23 veterans in training camp in 2022.
Between general manager Craig Conroy&#8217;s stated intention to give young players a chance to win roster spots in camp and the Flames having a bunch of veterans (as defined here) already on their existing roster, don&#8217;t expect too much PTO activity between now and when main camp opens on Sept. 20.

August is winding down, folks, and in a few short weeks the Calgary Flames (along with 31 other NHL clubs) will be gathering for training camp. League-wide, we're seeing the usual frenzy of clubs <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2023/08/28/should-the-calgary-flames-invite-a-player-to-training-camp-on-a-pto/">signing veterans to professional try-out (PTO) agreements</a>. Most of these players won't make their NHL rosters, but are being signed nonetheless to boost up competition and fill out pre-season rosters.

The Flames likely won't need to sign anybody to a PTO to meet the league's pre-season roster requirements.


<h2>What's a pre-season veteran?</h2>
The league defines a "veteran" for the purposes of pre-season games as someone who meets one of four criteria:
<ul>
 	<li>A skater that played in 30+ games during the previous season</li>
 	<li>A goaltender that played in 30+ games (or dressed in 50+ games) during the previous season</li>
 	<li>A first-round pick from the most recent NHL Draft</li>
 	<li>Any player that has played 100+ career games</li>
</ul>
Teams are required to dress eight (or more) veterans, as defined here, for any pre-season game. The rule probably has two thoughts behind it: teams shouldn't be allowed to rest all of their regulars until the season starts, and since fans are paying for pre-season tickets they should get something vaguely resembling an NHL roster to watch.

However, typically the veteran requirement is waived for split-squad games, and in practice what actually happens is teams dressing their veterans at home and sending a skeleton crew on the road early in the pre-season. Case in point: the Flames had seven and five veterans dressed in their first two pre-season road games. (They dressed 10+ at home and in their two later road games.)
<h2>Which Flames qualify as veterans?</h2>
At this point, the Flames have 22 players that fit one of the requirements to qualify as a veteran player for the pre-season.

Skaters that played in 30+ games during the previous season:
<ol>
 	<li>Nazem Kadri [82 games]</li>
 	<li>Andrew Mangiapane [82 games]</li>
 	<li>Mikael Backlund [82 games]</li>
 	<li>Blake Coleman [82 games]</li>
 	<li>Dillon Dube [82 games]</li>
 	<li>Nikita Zadorov [82 games]</li>
 	<li>MacKenzie Weegar [81 games]</li>
 	<li>Noah Hanifin [81 games]</li>
 	<li>Elias Lindholm [80 games]</li>
 	<li>Jonathan Huberdeau [79 games]</li>
 	<li>Rasmus Andersson [79 games]</li>
 	<li>Yegor Sharangovich [75 games]</li>
 	<li>Chris Tanev [65 games]</li>
 	<li>Jordan Oesterle [52 games]</li>
 	<li>Adam Ruzicka [44 games]</li>
</ol>
Goaltenders that played in 30+ games (or dressed in 50+ games) during the previous season:
<ol>
 	<li>Jacob Markstrom [played in 59 games]</li>
 	<li>Dan Vladar [dressed in 82 games]</li>
</ol>
First-round picks from the most recent NHL Draft:
<ol>
 	<li>Samuel Honzek [16th overall]</li>
</ol>
Players that have played 100+ career games:
<ol>
 	<li>Kevin Rooney [227 games]</li>
 	<li>Dryden Hunt [202 games]</li>
 	<li>Oliver Kylington [168 games]</li>
</ol>
Brett Sutter, signed to an AHL contract with the Wranglers and likely attending main camp on a PTO, falls into the fourth category (and counts as a veteran). For the curious, the Flames had 23 veterans in training camp in 2022.

Between general manager Craig Conroy's stated intention to give young players a chance to win roster spots in camp and the Flames having a bunch of veterans (as defined here) already on their existing roster, don't expect too much PTO activity between now and when main camp opens on Sept. 20.

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