Daniel Austin

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Hunter Brzustewicz among six Calgary Flames sent down to Wranglers Hunter Brzustewicz among six Calgary Flames sent down to Wranglers Author of the article: Article content By any measure, Hunter Brzustewicz had a remarkable first training camp with the Calgary Flames Advertisement 2 Article content Hunter Brzustewicz among six Calgary Flames sent down to Wranglers Back to video On Thursday, it ended with the news that he'll be heading down to the AHL to join the Calgary Wranglers. There will be some disappointment there for the 19-year-old, but it likely will be tempered by the knowledge that a strong showing from the first day of camp impressed the Flames coaches and earned him repeated praise. Brzustewicz is very much on the Flames' radar. His dream of playing in the NHL isn't that far off. A second training camp – his first was with the Vancouver Canucks – showed him he can compete with the NHLers but also highlighted the areas where he still needs to improve. “Me and my coach in Kitchener were talking about it, and shoutout to Brad Flynn, the other day and he asked me ‘Has anyone impressed you?' and I told him it's more the little things,” Brzustewicz said. “Like (MacKenzie) Weegar. The first day I was here, the first drill he was like ‘Call for the puck. Keep your feet moving' and you look at the high-end guys and it's not so much a backhand toe-drag or whatever dangle, it's more that every pass they catch or they receive, it's 100%. It's on the tape, there's no mess-ups. Advertisement 3 Article content “Obviously they do extravagant stuff and the high-end guys definitely do some really cool stuff, but the big thing I take away is just those little details and habits, they've really narrowed them down.” Brzustewicz was among six prospects who were sent to the Wranglers on Thursday morning, including Sam Morton, Justin Kirkland, Clark Bishop, Jonathan Aspirot and Martin Frk. There's certainly no shame in getting sent to the AHL as a 19-year-old and Brzustewicz had a strong camp, but never has played pro hockey before. Last year with the Kitchener Rangers, he had 13 goals and 79 assists. Over the past couple of weeks, he showed that those high-end offensive skills should translate in the pros, but a little more seasoning in the AHL will do him nothing but good. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Hunter Brzustewicz among six Calgary Flames sent down to Wranglers Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Whether he winds up on the opening night roster or not, Honzek has put himself right in the mix.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Pushing for Calgary Flames job, Sam Honzek gets one more opportunity Pushing for Calgary Flames job, Sam Honzek gets one more opportunity 'I just came here to make the team. That's the goal. I'm happy with how I played, how many points, the way I played and how I did what the coaches asked me to do' Author of the article: Article content Sam Honzek has one more game to book an NHL job. Advertisement 2 Article content Pushing for Calgary Flames job, Sam Honzek gets one more opportunity Back to video That's probably not entirely true. When the Calgary Flames decide whether to keep Honzek around for the regular season or send him to the AHL for a stint with the Calgary Wranglers, they'll consider his entire body of work throughout training camp and the pre-season. It won't be Friday night's game against the Winnipeg Jets alone that seals his short-term hockey-playing fate. Even if he does get sent to the Wranglers, there's every chance he'll earn a call-up sooner rather than later, too. The Flames' first-round draft pick in the 2023 NHL Draft is pushing for playing time, plain and simple, and Friday does represent an opportunity for Honzek to show he deserves it right away. He knows it, too. “Now is the point where the pressure comes in,” Honzek said Thursday. “It's the last pre-season game. The lines are pretty much set, there have been lots of cuts and now we have a few guys left, only. I just came here to make the team. That's the goal. I'm happy with how I played, how many points, the way I played and how I did what the coaches asked me to do.” Advertisement 3 Article content Honzek's not the only one who is happy with his training camp. The Flames coaches are thrilled, too. After a tough 2023-24 season that was interrupted by injuries and saw him underperform with the WHL's Vancouver Giants, Honzek's stock had fallen in the eyes of some. Today, it is higher than ever. He's been arguably the story of training camp for the Flames. As of Thursday afternoon, he was tied with the Philadelphia Flyers' Matvei Michkov for the most pre-season points in the entire NHL, with seven. He scored a shorthanded goal against the Seattle Kraken that was legitimately spectacular, and he's been doing impressive work along the boards and in the corners, too. In short, Honzek's done everything the coaches could have asked for. Advertisement 4 Article content Whether he winds up on the opening night roster or not, Honzek has put himself right in the mix. “Last year at camp it felt like he was getting his feet wet and he didn't want to step on any toes or ruffles any feathers, he just wanted to try to listen,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “He didn't have the impact I would have hoped he had. When you see him come back this year, he's a totally different player. “He's a big man who is using his size and skating the right way. There haven't been many players throughout our training camp and exhibition season that have played with the consistent pace that he has. He's done an excellent job and we've talked about him a lot, he's deserving of the opportunity to keep getting more opportunities and I'm hopeful he'll continue to run with it.” Advertisement 5 Article content So what does Honzek have to do against the Jets to earn a spot in the regular season lineup? It's hard to say, truthfully. The Flames have decent veteran depth on the wing, so it's entirely possible that they'll send him to the Wranglers for a little while until an opportunity arises. For now, he's done everything that's been asked of him. On Friday, Honzek probably just needs to do more of the same. Waiver wire The Flames sent Jonathan Aspirot, Clark Bishop, Hunter Brzustewicz, Martin Frk, Justin Kirkland and Sam Morton to the Wranglers on Thursday morning. Then, an hour or two later, they placed Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt and Jarred Tinordi on the waiver wire. “There wasn't much of a message, it's just telling them they've been placed on waivers and based on what happens tomorrow, we'll have a better idea as to the direction we're going to go.” With Duehr and Hunt being placed on waivers, Adam Klapka would appear to have the inside track on a job next to Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney on the Flames' fourth line. X: @DannyAustin_9 Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Pushing for Calgary Flames job, Sam Honzek gets one more opportunity Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

According to reports, Tyson Barrie will be sticking around Calgary this season. Article content

According to reports, Tyson Barrie will be sticking around Calgary this season. Article content

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Diarra v Fifa: Some transfer rules break EU law - top court Daniel Austin

It might not look like Tyson Barrie will be in the opening night lineup for the Calgary Flames , but it sure beats not having a contract.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Tyson Barrie has signed with the Calgary Flames. Where does he fit? Tyson Barrie has signed with the Calgary Flames. Where does he fit? Author of the article: Article content It might not look like Tyson Barrie will be in the opening night lineup for the Calgary Flames , but it sure beats not having a contract. Advertisement 2 Article content Tyson Barrie has signed with the Calgary Flames. Where does he fit? Back to video And Barrie is prepared to be patient. The veteran defenceman signed a one-year deal worth $1.25 million US with the Flames on Thursday after spending training camp with the team on a professional tryout agreement. The 33-year-old now is part of the Flames' season-long plans, bringing more NHL experience than any blueliner the team has on its books and an offensive skillset that should bolster the power play when he's called upon. He'll likely start the season as their seventh d-man. He knows that. “Kind of what I've done my whole career, be great around the room and when I get the opportunity, jump in and try to make a difference,” Barrie said when he was asked what he could bring to the Flames this season. “I think that's my next goal, to re-establish myself as a full-time NHL player and a good one at that. Just be patient and kind of wait for my chance to try to make a mark.” Advertisement 3 Article content That chance will come, no doubt, but for now the Flames seem to have settled on three defensive pairings to start the season. Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl will be paired up and were set to play their first game together in Friday night's pre-season tilt against the Winnipeg Jets. Bahl missed the early days of training camp after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils this summer, but the Flames believe he can play big minutes. Daniil Miromanov and MacKenzie Weegar will look to build on the chemistry they had started to find last year after Miromanov joined the Flames in the deal that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights. That leaves the third pairing. For Friday night's pre-season game, it was set to be Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal, who has had an exceptional training camp and offers a more physical option on the blueline. Advertisement 4 Article content Leaving out the possibility of injuries and Barrie needing to slot in for someone who is forced out of the lineup, that third pairing is most likely where he'd be looking for playing time, although you'd absolutely expect him to get some power-play time regardless of where he is in the lineup, too. Barrie is a right-handed shot who has scored 109 goals and has piled up 396 assists in 809 NHL games, after all. That's the 10th-most among active NHL blueliners, so it's not hard to see how the Flames could use him. “Of course we're happy that he and we settled on the contract,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska said. “I think we all know what Tyson is. He is a player that's motivated right now and feels like he has a lot to prove. His strength is the offensive side of the game, for sure, I feel like it gives us another option offensively, on the power-play, all that stuff. We're excited to have him.” Advertisement 5 Article content If there's been a knock on Barrie's game over the years, it has been in the defensive end. He's a minus-76 over his career and was a minus-10 last year. If he's going to stay in the lineup and play big minutes, he'll need to show that he can be relied on in his own zone. “We need all our defencemen to be responsible,” Huska said. “He has a skill-set, we know that about him, but at the same time if you can't help keep the puck out of the net it makes it tough to get you in the lineup at times. “He's played a lot of games in the NHL for a reason. He can handle himself defensively, without a doubt, and he is motivated to be a guy who can be counted on in more than just the offensive situations like the power-play.” For Barrie's part, he knows what people say about the defensive side of the game and wants to prove them wrong. Advertisement 6 Article content It was a tough summer, waiting for the phone to ring for a contract offer and, after proving himself in Flames camp, he can't wait to prove that he still has what it takes to play in the best league in the world. Whenever that opportunity comes, he's eager to take it. “It's just a new perspective, I'm going to try to play this game as long as I can,” Barrie said. “I'm going to keep showing up until they look the doors. It's a great game, it's a lot of fun to be around the rink. “The thought of not going on the road with the boys and having the dinner the night before games and a glass of red, it hurt.” WAIVER WIRE The Flames assigned Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt and Jarred Tinordi to the Calgary Wranglers on Friday morning. All three had been placed on waivers on Thursday but got through and will now report to the Wranglers or AHL duties … Blake Coleman was the only expected everyday starter who wasn't in the lineup for Friday's game, but it was entirely because he's a veteran and the Flames wanted to give other players one final look. www.twitter.com/DannyAustin_9 Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Tyson Barrie has signed with the Calgary Flames. Where does he fit? Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings