The Calgary Flames held their development camp from July 6 to 8 at Winsport where fans were able to get a close look at some of their prospects. The Flames closed out development camp with a 3-on-3 scrimmage—where the victors would earn the prestigious Snowy Cup. Below are a couple of standouts from the session on July 8, along with some more sights from camp.
Calgary Flames prospect standouts
Matt Coronato
There really isn’t much to not like about the player that Coronato is. He is known for his offensive ability and rightfully so. He showed great speed and skating throughout the day while carrying the puck into the zone. He seemed to always be able to find an opening to feed his teammates with scoring opportunities. But, what isn’t talked enough about is his two-way game, which he did very well during the scrimmages.
On a rush that appeared to be on it’s way to developing to a 2-on-1, Coronato was able to easily lock down the player and poke the puck away from his possession. Throughout the day he rarely lost sight of his defensive assignments and was able to stick to them. He seemed to catch the eyes of more than just the fans in the stands.
When you are catching the attention of best Flames player of all time, it’s safe to say that you are doing pretty well. I would be very surprised if he doesn’t make the Flames roster for the season opener. Even if he doesn’t, he will spend very little time in the AHL.
Samuel Honzek
It is honestly surprising how effective of a skater Honzek is given his size. He is able to be quick and carry the puck with ease. In multiple instances, Honzek used his size to his advantage. In one play, Honzek was under lots of pressure in the offensive zone, however, he was able to use his big frame to protect the puck and move around to find an opening, demonstrating great patience.
He ended up feeding the puck to the front of the net for a great scoring chance. In another instance, Honzek was able to protect the puck again, shielding it away from two players for about 10 seconds of pressure before he ultimately got pushed off it. Additionally, while Coronato absolutely has the best shot out of all the prospects, but don’t discount Honzek—he can absolutely rip it.
William Stromgren
Stromgren’s play was a very welcome surprise to me during the scrimmage. Throughout his tenure so far, he has been relatively underwhelming as a prospect, but in my opinion, he really stood out on the last day of the development camp. While leading the 3-on-3 rush, Stromgren made a great head fake to lose his defender and he had a great scoring chance from the slot. Later on at a bad angle, Stromgren was near the side of the net and made a perfect shot short side top corner to score. Hopefully, Stromgren can build off this camp and continue to show good signs.
The fun bits
Team Black ended up being the champions of the 3-on-3 scrimmage, and winning the Snowy Cup.
While doing their individual laps around the ice holding the cup over their heads, Kerins, Boltman and Huckins each let out a very loud yell to cheer with the crowd in attendance. Diotte, on the other hand, let out a very humble “let’s go” using his indoor voice.
The Calgary Flames youth movement
Next up for the prospects is heading to Penticton in September to participate in the Young Stars Classic. The players will be able to face the prospects of the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets.
After a couple of years where it felt as though roster spots could not be earned by prospects, things may be different this season. If a prospect continues to step up and show up for the Flames, then hopefully they’ll earn the rewards they deserve.
