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On Tuesday the Calgary Flames announced their roster for the upcoming Young Stars tournament in Penticton.
The roster breakdown:
Forwards (17) - Kenny Agostino, Bill Arnold, Tyson Baillie, Sam Bennett, Taylor Burke, Austin Carroll, Pavel Karnaukhov, Morgan Klimchuk, Andrew Mangiapane, Mason Marchment, Louick Marcotte, Ryan Lamberg, Emile Poirier, Julien Proulx, Hunter Smith, Tomas Soustal, Bryce Van Brabant.
Defensemen (11) - Oliver Kylington, Rasmus Andersson, Patrick Sieloff, Ryan Culkin, Riley Bruce, Jason Bell, Eric Roy, Kenney Morrison, Keegan Kanzig, Brett Kulak, Jason Fram.
Goaltenders (3) - Mason McDonald, Jon Gillies, Nick Schneider.
A few players to watch:
- Obviously Sam Bennett is the name that sticks out the most. The Flames want him to play down the middle in the NHL this season and make meaningful contributions to the team. This will probably be more of a tuneup for him but as a former top-5 pick with NHL experience you'd like to see him dominate.
- Another name that sticks out is Emile Poirier. While he's probably a long shot he does have a chance to make the big club this season. After a season of pro hockey he is a guy that should be able to control play in this tournament. If he doesn't it's probably safe to say he is not NHL-ready.
- I thought Andrew Mangiapane should have been drafted in 2014 and it took until the 6th round of the 2015 draft for someone to take a shot on him. He's a very skilled player with something to prove and I expect a good showing from him this weekend.
- Last but not least we have Oliver Kylington. We know he'll be in North America this season but the league he'll play in is still to be determined. The two realistic options for Kylington are Stockton (AHL) and Brandon (WHL). His play at this tournament (and in camp) will determine where GM Brad Treliving decides to send him.
All the action starts Friday when the Flames square off against the Winnipeg Jets at 5 MT. The game will be streamed on the Flames' website.
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