Whether you feel Miikka Kiprusoff will be traded in the upcoming months or not, one thing is certain; it’s time for the Flames tender to start mentoring the young and inexperienced netminders behind him.
Over the past six seasons with the Flames, Kipprusoff has started around 90% of the total games and has no doubt been solid for the team. By no means is this a bad thing, as all NHL teams would love to get the same consistency Miikka has provided for the Flames. Nonetheless, the problem is that the starting position for the Calgary Flames may soon be up for grabs and to date, the prospects under Kiprusoff simply do not have enough experience.
Many feel it’s time to move the Finnish tender to a team challenging for the cup, as his return would likely warrant some nice young assets. However, as mentioned above, the Flames do not currently have a viable replacement. The Flames certainly have some nice depth in goaltending, however if they are going to consider moving Kiprusoff, they must start to provide much more ice time for their prospects.
Leland Irving, who the Flames plan to sign shortly, is thought to be the most NHL ready goaltender in the Flames organization. Feaster didn’t have much to say this morning regarding the contract talks, but he did say “They’re making progress”.
I would like to take this time to discuss the goaltenders who may have a future with the Flames, in order of readiness and talent.
Karri Ramo
The 26 year old Finnish goaltender is still currently playing overseas in the KHL. Ramo’s rights were traded to Calgary alongside Mike Cammalleri in 2012. Since playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2008-09 season, he has been playing for the Avangard Omsk of the KHL and has posted some rather respectable numbers; 133(gp) 73(w) 39(l) 1.89(gaa) .926 (sv %).
Ramo did not have much success in Tampa Bay as he was sent down to the minors on several occasions which eventually led him to pack his bags for the KHL. Since his rights were traded to Calgary, it appears the tender is more than just entertaining the idea of returning to the NHL as he see’s an opportunity within Calgary that was not presented to him in Tampa.
"The reason why I left is I thought it was better for my hockey career to go there and play," said Ramo. "The last three years I played almost 200 games. That's what makes you a better player, when you play a lot of games. That's what I wanted, that's what everybody's looking for”.
"I can't leave right away, but you know things always change," said Ramo. "In the KHL especially."
The Canadian Press – 05/09/2012
Leland Irving
As mentioned, the 24 year old goalie is thought to be the most NHL ready and capable goalie currently in the Flames organization. Although he has only seven games of total NHL experience, what he has shown in his short stint with the Flames has impressed many.
The main critique about Irving was primarily around his build. As a thinner goalie, he doesn’t fill the net with his frame and as a result must challenge his shooters more than most goalies. He has done very well as the starter of the Abbotsford Heat, also posting respectable numbers; 39(gp) 22(w) 13(l) 2.67(gaa) 9.02(sv %).
Irving has been described by scouts as a calm goaltender who stands his ground and allows shots to hit him, rather than fighting the puck and putting himself out of position. If Ramo is not ready to make his debut in a Flames jersey for this upcoming season, Irving is likely their best bet.
Henrik Karlsson
The 28 year old tender is slightly more experienced than Irving, however he has struggled to crack the line up as a result of poor play and injuries during the 2011-12 season. Although he is one of the older prospective netminders for the Flames, it appears he may be slipping down the depth chart by the likes of Irving, and possibly recent draft selections in 2011(Broissoit) and 2012(Gillis).
Irving may be above Karlsson on the depth charts, but these two will be competing head to head for the coaches attention, especially if Ramo is not ready for his transition back into the NHL.
Jon Gillis
Recently selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, Gillis appears to be next on the depth charts as he’s caught the attention of many scouts and coaches. The larger netminder fills his crease very well at 6’5, but also positions himself very well while aggressively challenging shooters.
Gillies made apparent improvements statistically as he led the USHL in terms of wins (31), minutes played, and shots faced (over 1600) during the 2011-2012 USHL season, but the goalie saved some of his best play for the playoffs as he took the Indiana Ice to the USHL Eastern Conference Finals. Even though Gillies and the Indiana Ice weren’t able to advance to the Finals, the goalie was solid through six games played as he posted a 2.84 GAA and .911 Save Percentage for the duration of the Ice’s playoff run. Not only did Gillies improve upon his numbers from the 2010-2011 season with the Indiana Ice, the American goalie was able to convince everybody that he was the right choice for starting duties as he maintained very respectable numbers even though his workload more than doubled from the previous season.
Anatoliy Metter - The Hockey Writers - June 18, 2012
As described by Metter, Gillis has much potential and may be a promising goalie for the Flames in a couple years if he continues to develop as he has to date.
Laurent Broissoit
Calgary drafted Brossoit in 2011, and although most have yet to see a lot from the young goaltender, here’s what goalie coach Clint Malarchuk had to say:
“The thing about Laurent is that he has a great work ethic. He’s a great athlete. The goaltending technical part is pretty dang good, but his athleticism is pretty impressive. What I like about him and this may be trivial, but for a young guy he uses his stick well. Nowadays, that’s kind of a lost art.”
Exactly who will be expected to take on a bigger role for the Flames this year is still undecided and will depend on the coaches, however one thing is certain; it’s time for the Flames to prepare for the replacement of Kiprusoff, by starting to play their prospects.
***Many of you have asked why I chose to leave out Joni Ortio, and the reason for that is because I feel as though Ortio is a guy who may have fallen off the depth chart with the recent acquisitions and draft selections. Ortio was drafted in 2009 and has only played one professional game for Calgary since. I do not see much of a future with Joni and the Flames, aside from perhaps working his way into the Heats roster.
As always, Thanks for reading!
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