With next to nothing happening in the hockey world this month, I thought this would be as good of a time as any to profile members of the Calgary Flames.
I'll be commenting on their performances last season as well as projected role and expectations moving forward. I've profiled 15 Flames thus far, with Rasmus Andersson being the most recent.
Today we're going to take a closer look at Travis Hamonic.
Counting stats: 69 games played, 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists), 20:52 average time on ice
5v5 underlyings: 0.76 points/60, -0.33 CF% Rel, -1.21 GF% Rel, +1.90 xGF% Rel, 0.997 PDO
2018-19 review: Travis Hamonic's debut season with the Flames was a disappointment, especially given the cost of acquisition. He never really found his footing defensively alongside T.J. Brodie and his offensive output completely dried up. He scored just once, and added only 10 assists, while playing nearly 21 minutes a night for the Flames. It was bad.
Last season was a completely different story. Hamonic spent the vast majority of his time paired with newcomer Noah Hanifin. The results were fantastic. In better than 1,000 minutes together, they helped the Flames control 54.72% of the shot attempts, 55.72% of the expected goals, and out-score the opposition. They were one of the better 2nd pairings in the league and ensured there was as little of a drop off as possible when Mark Giordano left the ice.
Hamonic's on-ice results were strong – clearly – and he also bounced back offensively, potting a career-high seven goals despite missing 13 games.
Fun fact: Hamonic setting a new high in goals was probably not a coincidence. He shot the puck a *ton* last season. At 5v5, Hamonic ranked 13th among defenders averaging 13.69 attempts/60. That was more than Victor Hedman, Dustin Byfuglien, Justin Faulk, P.K. Subban and Thomas Chabot, to name but a few.
2019-20 outlook: Hamonic only just turned 29 years old. If he's no longer at the peak of his powers, he remains close to it. The Flames should have one of the NHL's more potent offenses once again. He figures to remain stapled to Noah Hanifin on the 2nd pairing. Barring injuries, nothing about Hamonic's playing circumstances are likely to change even the slightest. We should be looking at another season of 20+ minutes a night, ~20 points, and stout defensive play. At least that's the hope.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com Recent posts: