Remarkable Markus: 2013 Young Stars Tournament

Now that the Vancouver Canucks' Penticton Young Stars "Tournament" is over (I don't know, to this day, why it's called a tournament, but whatever) a lot will be made about who looked good, who didn't, and what it all means.

What it all means, really, is virtually nothing.  Players have come away from this tournament with great performances--think Carter Bancks, Patrick Holland, and Vancouver's Kellan Tochkin--in spite of not amounting to much (or, more accurately, not likely amounting to much).  Conversely, players such as T.J. Brodie (and, this year, Sven Baertschi) have disappointed, only to prove it means less than nothing.  Nevertheless, it's fun to speculate, and this "tourney" does provide us with a window to see our future heroes in real game situations.  The level of play has improved with each successive year (except last year, where the tournament was cancelled for greed-related reasons), and the entertainment value is fantastic.

So, without further wasting of time, here are my thoughts on what I saw from the Flames' youngsters in Penticton (and, to a lesser extent, in Development Camp, since it occurs to me that I didn't post about that).

Oh, and a happy retirement to Miikka Kiprusoff. It's been a wild ride, Kipper!



Sven Baertschi LW - Baertschi seemed tentative and reluctant to engage though most of the tournament, aside from a handful of scoring chances and showing some nice distribution on the powerplay. He picked up his play in the final game, for the first few shifts of the first period, and then dominated the third, but he finished the tournament with no points, and a largely disappointing showing.

Laurent Brossoit G - He was solid, but not spectacular. He played well enough--which is about as much as one can hope for from a 20 year old goaltender fresh out of junior.  All in all, he was fine, and should get a chance to hone his game as a pro as the backup for the Abbotsford Heat.

Ryan Culkin D - This summer was the best hockey I've ever seen from Culkin. I've never really been a fan, but he's always been a solid, calm player.  In Penticton, he showed an extra little bit of mobility, and seemed far more assertive with the puck. He was also far more effective at playing the body, which is good news.  He was only fine, but he improved in most of the respects he needed to.  I'm satisfied with his performance, but I wouldn't say I was impressed.

Turner Elson LW - Elson's hallmark is hard work, and he puts that in on every shift. He is not a flashy player--or even a particularly skilled player--but he's the sort of guy you tend to notice out on the ice because he makes his presence known around the puck.  During the tournament he was able to keep up with more skilled linemates in the cycle, and used his grit and tenacity to regain possession when it was lost.

Michael Ferland LW - Ferland is another player who showed very well during the tournament, and completely blew away my expectations.  He used his size and strength to his advantage, but he also showed a good turn of speed and excellent puck skills in tight. He's always been a toolsy player, and it was good to see him putting his varied skillset to use in the offensive zone. His defense and play away from the puck still need work, but he did do some nice things in his own zone as well, especially on the penalty kill.

Coda Gordon RW - Gordon had a quiet tournament, and arguably played on his off side. He showed improved speed, also displaying the tenacity and puck skills that saw him drafted.  The bad news is his lower body strength is still not where it needs to be, as he was easily knocked off the puck and to the ice.

Markus Granlund C - There's no way to soften the blow. Simply put, Granlund was the best player in the tournament. Period. End of story. He showed the deadly shot I have alluded to in previous posts--and a willingness to use it, finishing the tournament with 11 shots on goal through three games--as well as some other tools that are hallmarks of the Granlund name (puck handling, distribution skill, vision, decision making, creativity). What was new, though, was his skating.  Abruptly, and for seemingly no reason whatsoever, he has become a legitimate above-average skater. Perhaps better than that. He showed notable speed and excellent quickness and acceleration.  There were several plays where he was absolutely flying down the off wing, dangled past a defender, and contributed a dangerous scoring chance. He also shows improved defensive work and a willingness--nay, a desire--to engage physically, especially near the net. He was used on the penalty kill throughout the tourney, and did not look out of place.  He also won a lot of faceoffs.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's MARKUS GRANLUND!!

Ben Hanowski RW - Hanowski continues to be an odd player. He showed much improved skating, likely due to his having lost a significant amount of weight since last season. He wasn't quite quick, but he was definitely much closer to average than he has been. His shot was still heavy, and his hands are deft in tight. There weren't many times where I felt he was very dangerous in the offensive zone, but his improved skating made him an effective two-way/transition player, and a very good penalty killer. There may be an NHL player here yet, folks.

Josh Jooris C - Jooris is interesting, as he received a contract after dev camp--which seemed odd to me because he really didn't stand out to me in any way (obviously the Flames didn't share that opinion). And it would seem I was wrong, for Jooris didn't look out of place among the many drafted players in the Flames group. He was a solid three zone player who showed some offensive flair on occasion, especially in the final game against the Sharks where he was paired with Sven Baertschi.

Keegan Kanzig D - Keegan the Barbarian seems to have made it his mission to prove me (and the many other doubters because, let's face it, he has no idea that I exist) wrong. Hooray! Kanzig has a skillset that caught me off guard since, as a behemoth that scored all of seven points last season, I wasn't expecting much of a toolset.  My reaction after watching him in dev camp, though, was "How did this guy only have seven points?" He wasn't dynamic by any stretch, but he did show decent mobility and a solid understanding of the defensive side of the game. Offensively he wasn't bad either, as he has some puck moving ability and even some puck handling skills. He's very raw, and his defensive game depends perhaps too much on his reach, but there's something there. Definitely a project, but a project that shows some promise.

Keegan bears an uncanny resemblance to Conan...

Corban Knight C - Considering he is a little older, and is supposed to be challenging for a spot with the Calgary Flames this season, it would be fair to say Corban "#KnightFacts" Knight had a somewhat disappointing tournament. He showed well defensively, as his positioning is good and he works hard, staying with his checks and keeping gaps small.  Offensively, he spent a little too much time trying to find Sven Baertschi with passes--prompting some to note that he has a bit of Alex "Shoot!" Tanguay syndrome. He was at his best playing a simple game involving a high-speed cycle down low in the offensive zone. Oh, and he wins a lot of draws.

Brett Kulak D - Kulak was up and down. He was very good against the Oilers in game one (though nearly everyone was) in spite of getting basically no credit for his performance (business as usual, really). Against the Sharks he was shaky and tended to attempt a lot of high-risk passes that almost never worked (the Sharks' positional game was phenomenal). His skating also appeared to be a step behind what I was used to seeing from him.

Sean Monahan C - Monahan had a solid tournament. There were certain aspects of his game that impressed me--such as his ability to seamlessly adjust his tack in the face of altered circumstances, as well as the way play seemed to flow around him in the offensive zone. The main issue was he didn't really dominate play, though I wasn't necessarily expecting him to. His defensive zone coverage could have been better as well--not that it was bad, simply that he had a bit of a tendency to run around under pressure.

Joni Ortio G - Ortio only played the one game--but what a game it was! His rebound control was freakishly good, and his athleticism was, as always, tremendous. His positioning wasn't quite at the level I would have liked it to be, but with a performance like the one Joni turned it, that's really just a nitpick.

Emile Poirier RW - Poirier was another player who managed to regularly impress me. He has a good shot and quick hands, and he also moves the puck quite well. He could have been better on the cycle, though his game is really on the rush, anyway. The truly impressive thing about Poirier--and the thing no one can avoid mentioning--is his preposterous speed. Like, this isn't your everyday run-of-the-mill Matt Lombardi preposterous speed we're talking about here. Poirier is Roman Horak fast. With the puck. In-game. Consistently. That's just plain absurd. There were times where he'd be skating lazily through the neutral zone with the puck, then, just as the defender tried to close the gap on him and trap him against the boards, he would simply explode, like an RPG taking off from a slingshot. Blink and you miss it. He was at the net just like that.

It's difficult to skate gracefully when you have rockets strapped to your skates.

John Ramage D - This summer Ramage showed an offensive side I had no idea was there. Hooray! Completeness! His skating has really come along--not that it was bad to begin with--and he's learned to pick his spots with his physical game, as well. Which is good, considering he looks tiny out there for some reason. He was the Flames' best defender throughout the tournament, and he should be a top player for the Abbotsford Heat this season.

Max Reinhart C - Reinhart was his usual self at this tourney--steady as a mountain, and almost as exciting. He did a good job of pushing the play and defending his own zone. He has never been a flashy player, and he will never be a big scorer as a pro, but he is rock solid in all three zones, and I stand by my everlasting projection of him as the ultimate shutdown center.

Eric Roy D - Roy had a solid tournament, showing good all around ability against the Canucks and playing a quiet, efficient game against the Sharks (what one would normally expect from Brett Kulak or Tyler Wotherspoon). His defense, obviously, could still use some work. He's fine defending the rush, provided he gets back, but under pressure he tends to crumble a bit and sucumb to the temptation to run around trying to do everything and accomplishing nothing. He could also work on his turns, and on being more assertive physically. Still, he's very good with the puck, especially on the powerplay, with good passing and a heavy shot.

Patrick Sieloff D - Sieloff has really learned to pick his spots for his big hits. He definitely works on not taking himself out of the play for the big hit, but make no mistake, he'll wreck you if he catches you with your head down. His offensive game has improved as well, as he likes jumping into the play (though he really isn't all that good at it) and likes to move the puck around. He has a heavy shot on the point, as well, which led directly to an Emile Poirier goal against the Oilers.

Tyler Wotherspoon D - Wotherspoon is in the same boat as Knight--in that, as a player who is supposedly close to making the Flames, he really should have shown more.  Even so, he played his usual invisible, mistake-free game, being quietly effective in all three zones. He (along with John Ramage) contributed to a great number of the Flames successful zone exits throughout the tournament.

BONUS

Ken Agostino LW - Agostino looked solid in dev camp, as one might expect. He has good skating and hands, and knows how to play the body.  He also has a great shot.

Bill Arnold C - Arnold's skating has improved by leaps and bounds, and he created some dangerous chances in dev camp with his speed. He's definitely added more to his offensive repertoire the last few years, and remains an intriguing former fourth round pick.

Matt DeBlouw C - Barely noticeable, but he's smart defensively, wins faceoffs, and skates well.

Johnny Gaudreau LW - Gaudreau, as always, was electric at dev camp. He was also playing RW on Monahan's line, which was nice to see. He should be a Hobey Baker candidate again this season, and may even turn pro after his college season is over.

Jon Gillies G - Gillies was the best goalie at dev camp, and looks to be the front runner for the starting gig on team USA at the WJC. He's a phenominal prospect, but his body of work is only last season (where he was ridiculously good). I'm trying very hard not to be overly optimistic about this one, but it's hard.

Tim Harrison RW - I didn't notice Harrison all that much at dev camp, but he showed a nice physical game to go along with solid puck skills.  He didn't look out of place, which was surprising coming from a late rounder drafted out of high school.

Mark Jankowski C - Jankowski was underwhelming, but he wasn't bad.  He remains a raw, toolsy offensive center. He has learned to use his size better, especially when it comes to protecting the puck near the net. One feels that he's ever so close to a breakthrough, but if it doesn't happen this year... might be trouble.

Morgan Klimchuk LW - Klimchuk didn't stand out all that much (though he was pretty much the youngest player there, so it's excusable). He is a great skater with good puck skills and a high compete level. I was hoping to see him alongside Poirier and Monahan at Young Stars, but he was hurt in the Regina Pats' training camp.