Calgary Flames hockey is officially back today, well, kind of. The 2024 Young Stars Classic will kick off today in Penticton, B.C. where Flames fans will get the chance to watch the future stars of the Calgary Flames in a series of games. Many players of the past have played in this tournament and it is always nice to be able to see these guys as kids before they make their way to the pros or before they go back to junior.
This year, in particular, will be exciting to watch as the Flames greatly bolstered their prospect pool in the 2024 NHL Draft. There will be plenty of things to watch for, but I wanted to outline three things you should be looking forward to seeing as the tournament kicks off. Let’s get into it, shall we?
The dynamic play of Zayne Parekh
All eyes will really be on one player for most Flames fans, and that is no other than this year’s ninth-overall pick, Zayne Parekh. Flames fans were first introduced to Parekh at development camp in July and he impressed with his smooth skating, dynamic puck skills, and incredible hockey sense. Now for the first time in a Flames uniform, we will see Parekh in a real game environment, and I could not be more excited.
As I and many others have mentioned before, Parekh is dynamic; he might be one of the most talented defensive prospects in the entire world, and it is for good reason. He makes plays with ease and makes the game look so simple while dominating in every facet.
We will be able to get an up close and personal look at the player who was the main driver of the team who won the Memorial Cup last season and who we hope will be the next superstar of the Flames. I hope he takes those chances offensively that we saw him do with the Saginaw Spirit the last couple of seasons, it would certainly make him a treat to watch through this tournament.
The flash and high-end skill of Andrew Basha
One of the most exciting picks of the 2024 NHL Draft for the Flames was local Calgary kid Andrew Basha. Basha was one of the most electrifying players of the 2024 draft class, he dazzled last season in Medicine Hat in the WHL alongside some other top-end talent. Basha was making plays all year and his draft stock rose, almost making him a first-round selection. The Flames were more than happy to get him in the second round as not many players taken in that range profiled like Basha.
The Flames have lacked high-end skill in their system for a while now. Well that changes with Basha. His puck skills are off the charts, he has incredible speed and can make plays that not many in the Flames prospect pool can make. He is the entire package when it comes to entertainment value, and we are expecting him to drop a few jaws through the tournament with what he can do on the ice. Outside of Parekh, I don’t think there is a prospect I am more intrigued to watch over the next couple of days than Basha.
Can the 2023 draft class impress?
I really needed to include both of these guys here—two players from the 2023 draft. Those being Flames pick Sam Honzek and Hunter Brzustewicz, originally a Vancouver Canucks pick. Honzek was taken 16th overall by the Flames in 2023, while Brzustewicz was selected by the Canucks in the same draft but was acquired by the Flames in the Elias Lindholm trade. It was a tale of two seasons for both players, Brzustewicz was extremely impressive as he had 92 points with the Kitchener Rangers this past year while Honzek was a little disappointing after only tallying 31 points in 33 games in a year that he was supposed to take a major step forward.
We have not seen much of Brzustewicz since he became a Flame, but the hype is very real for him. He is a great skater with great skills with the puck, he is a lot like Parekh in that sense. You don’t put up 92 points as a defenceman by accident, and this will be the first time that we will see Brzustewicz play in a Flames jersey before he plays his first professional season with the Calgary Wranglers this season. If they put him on a pairing with Parekh, that is going to be extremely fun to watch.
When it comes to Honzek, he needs to have a good showing. It seems as though the Flames community is down on him as a whole as he didn’t dominate the tournament a year ago like many expected he would, and his season in Vancouver with the Giants was derailed by an injury to start the year and he never really got his feet under him. As a first-round pick, players are expected to flat-out dominate in their draft-plus-one year. Honzek did far from that. Granted, he was injured, but he has the talent to be a game-changer. This will be the time for him to show it before heading off to training camp.
Plenty of talent to look forward to
This is probably the most excited I have been to watch the Young Stars Classic since Matthew Tkachuk was involved for the Flames back in 2016. There is so much talent here, and the possibilities for fun in this tournament are second to none.
I haven’t even mentioned others like Matvei Gridin, Henry Mews and Luke Misa, three very high-end skilled players with a ton of upside to be future NHL players. The talent pool seems endless, and the team should do well in the tournament. And that is really all we can ask for before training camp kicks off in a few weeks.
