Calgary Flames: Terrier Out, Terrier In?

Former Terrier sniper and fan favorite Tony Amonte’s (right) two-year tenure as Calgary Flame appears to be ended. An unrestricted free agent, he’s not listed on the Calgary roster and with Mike Keenan taking the helm, a Amonte return seems unlikely. Keenan was the New York Rangers coach who sent Tony packing in 1994, just before the Rangers won their first Cup in 54 years.

Amonte’s production dipped to 10-20-30 last season, bringing him to 900 career points in 16 NHL seasons. Might he follow Terrier linemate Shawn McEachern into retirement?

Meanwhile, David VanderGulik’s strong first pro season has earned him a shot at the NHL. Following an injury shortened senior year at BU that ended with a broken wrist, VDG played all 80 regular season games for the Flames AHL affiliate, the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska, backwards) Knight scoring 43 points and opening some eyes.

Invited to the just-completed Flames development camp, VanderGulik discussed his year in Omaha and his choice of NCAA hockey over major junior with the Calgary Sun. His play at development camp earned the kudos of several fans in attendance. One blogger wrote:

Wow Did not know this kid until I seen him at this Camp. What do I know about him now? He has speed and has moves that will leave dmen behind looking for their well you get my point. The only problem is his size but in todays new NHL with his speed and his skill he can over come that. He has a great shot and does some scary things with the puck. Seeing him on a break away will be a treat.

Another Flames fan suggests that "If there's an injury spot that opens, depending what Calgary's need is (PK especially) I wouldn't be surprised to see DVG [Nope, it’s VDG] get the call." If VanderGulik doesn't make the big club, he'll begin next season in a new city since the Flames have moved their AHL affiliate to Quad Cities (Illinois). That franchise move led to the demise of the UHL Quad City Mallards where ex-Terriers Matt Radoslovich and Jason Tapp have played the past two seasons.

Odds 'n ends

International Scouting Service's latest rankings for the 2008 NHL draft are posted on the hockeysfuture.com homepage. Incoming freshman center Colin Wilson (video IIHF World U18 Championship, vs. Russia) , son of former NHLer Carey Wilson, is ranked #6....When collegians like Brandon Yip participate in an NHL development camp (slide show, 5th slide), as Brandon recently did with the Avs, they not only pay their own travel expenses, to protect their NCAA eligiblity, but they also must pay pro-rated ice time fees...Incoming freshman Joe Pereira's younger brother, Mike, is making a name for himself. He's following in Joe's footsteps, transferring from high school in Connecticut to the South Kent School, which Joe led in scoring last season. Mike, who will be a junior at SKS, opened some eyes at two recent events, the Jr. Chowder Cup, where he led his team in scoring, and the ProAm Predraft tournament, where he joined Mike and a few recently graduated SKS players. One observer reports: "[Mike] isn't as fast as his brother but is still fast. But he can bury the puck, has great hands and is more skilled than his brother. "