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Given the uncertainty of the NHL season this year, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss the Abbotsford Heat and the Calgary Flames prospects over the next few weeks. Because it is of my opinion that most fans are not up to speed with their affiliate teams, I will continue on pace from yesterday’s blog which essentially went over some of the basics.
Today’s focus will be on the players invited to the development camp, as well as who can be expected on the roster this upcoming season.
Enjoy!
Development Camp Invitees
G Laurent Brossoit
G Jared Coreau
G Jon Gillies
G Joni Ortio
D Chris Breen
D T.J. Brodie
D Ryan Culkin
D Brett Kulak
D Brady Lamb
D James Martin
D John Ramage
D Patrick Sieloff
D Tyler Wotherspoon
F Bill Arnold
F Sven Baertschi
F Carter Bancks
F Lance Bouma
F Bryan Cameron
F Roman Cervenka
F Matthew Deblouw
F David Eddy
F Turner Elson
F Michael Ferland
F John Gaudreau
F Coda Gordon
F Markus Granlund
F Roman Horak
F Ryan Howse
F Mark Jankowski
F Ross Johnston
F Nick Larson
F Wade Murphy
F Greg Nemisz
F Gaelan Patterson
F Max Reinhart
F Dominik Volek
F Mitch Wahl
Of the abovementioned players, there will not likely be too many players who were not apart of last year’s roster who will be joining the Heat this season. Due to NHL being locked out, a few players who would have likely been playing with the Flames this year, will be taking up room on the roster, therefore sending a couple players back to their junior teams or even European organizations.
The roster for the upcoming season could look something like this:
Baertschi-Reinhart-Sylvester
Byron-Walter-Kolanos
Howse-Horak-Nemisz
Bouma-Street-Aliu
Bancks, Cameron, Eddy, Ferland, Laing, Patterson, Wahl.
Lamb-Wilson
Breen-Brodie
Piskula-Martin
Irving
Taylor
Karlsson
Prior to the possibility of a lockout, the Heat were struggling to find a full time tender. While they have many choices, a single name has yet to establish himself as a starter for them. This lockout has worked in their favor as the entire organization will get a chance to take a longer look at tender Irving who was expected to play fulltime backstopping Kiprusoff.
Joni Ortio will be spending the year in Europe for at least another season and has played a few games to date. While his club hasn’t been overly successful, Ortio has done quite well, facing many shots per game. During the HIFK tournament this year, Ortio played three games and posted a respectable 2.29 GAA and .937 save percentage. Ortio will certainly be a viable choice between the pipes for the Calgary organization in the next couple years.
What will happen with Henrik Karlsson this year is still up in the air as he has struggled to prove himself both at the AHL and NHL level with Calgary. Some feel he may end up returning to Europe if his game does not improve, but this might be an opportune time for the keeper to establish himself in the league as all eyes will be on the Heat while the NHL is locked out.
In addition to goaltending, last year’s roster suffered defensively, and it appears with the addition of NHLer Brodie, that things may improve. The roster is filled with talent and youth this upcoming season and with the additions of a few NHLers, the Heat could be a strong competitor for other AHL teams.
If the Heat can get solid goaltending from Irving, improve upon their defensive play with the addition of Bodie, and have some of the veterans step up in leadership roles, this team should have no problem winning games. Although I fully expect the Heat to be a highly offensive team who may at times struggle defensively, they are going to be exciting to watch this year and could prove to be a tough team to play against.
I will discuss the roster and team in more detail next week, as expressed, a lot of the in depth discussions concerning the Heat may not be common knowledge for most fans. As time progresses I hope to educate those who were unfamiliar with their affiliate team or league, and possibly encourage some NHL fans to pay more attention to the AHL.
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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