In all the Flames turned a six pick draft devoid of a 2nd round pick into a seven pick draft with a 2nd round pick.
A quick summary of rounds 3 through 7.
Third Round – 78th overall
Lance Bouma – Vancouver WHL
The skinny – A tough as nails aggressive attack dog that the Flames see as having offensive upside. A guy you want in the trenches. A center by designation, probably projects as a third line energy forward in the pros that has the ability to cause havoc. Picks Jarome Iginla as his favourite player, not a bad sign!
Fourth Round – 108th overall
Nick Larson – Waterloo USHL
A finisher, compares himself to the Wings Tomas Holmstrom in his ability to go to the net, screen the goaltender and bang in rebounds. Came to the draft on his own without parents, checked into the hotel and supported friends waiting for his call. A left wing by design, will need to develop to become a top six forward.
Fourth Round – 114th overall
T.J. Brodie – Saginaw OHL
A slight puck rushing defenseman with some upside, the Flames feel they have the physical stay at home market cornered with Regehr on the current roster and Matt Pelech on the horizon. A good skater that has the Flames thinking the next late round Gary Suter?
Sixth Round – 168th overall
Ryley Grantham – Moose Jaw WHL
The Flames use their sixth round pick to grab a future pugilist, grabbing Ryley Grantham in the hopes that he can develop enough of a game to take his ferocity to the NHL. He stands 6’3″ and should fill out into the 220 pound range when he fills out.
Seventh Round – 198th overall
Alexander Deilbert – Djurgarden JR – Sweden
Flames scout Anders Steen leaned hard on the group to use the seventh round pick on this puck rushing defenseman. He has limited size, but with the change in the game these picks are less of a flier than they’ve been in the past. Either way always interesting to watch the progress of a player staked out by a member of the scouting staff.
Overall Draft
Honestly? Who knows, I certainly don’t. However, there seems to be enough intrigue in each pick to make it something to watch going forward. I’m happy to see the Flames skating guru doesn’t have a problem with the “style” of Greg Nemisz, but that he needs more strength, given his attitude that shouldn’t be a problem. The other three forwards taken in the top four rounds all have a clear intangible going forward suggesting they could be NHL players. As with any draft you hope to find three to four players out of any draft, and one on the upper half of your roster.
The draft on a whole is a massive success for the Flames in my opinion, as I was hoping for a Tanguay divorce going in, in fact for any return that would be a future. Getting a move down and Cammelleri and a second rounder back this season is all a bonus with the 2 million left to hopefully add to the top two lines. A line of Cammelleri, Langkow and Iginla is a great first line, Matthew Lombardi to center the second line with the 2 million player on the wing with one of Boyd or Moss is a heck of a lot better than this team looked on paper 48 hours ago.
I see the season as less of a throwaway because of cap space than I did coming in. Will it be a great season? That’s up to the core players, but the supporting cast should fit the team better and provide a more consistent push behind the likes of Jarome Iginla et al.
