Development Camp: 5 Players To Watch


A group of people standing in front of a crowd

CALGARY, AB — The Calgary Flames on-ice sessions at development camp begin Tuesday at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport and there are plenty of intriguing storylines amongst the 42 players invited to the annual event.

Here are five players to keep an eye on throughout the week:

Jakub Nakladal – Defence

Like David Wolf last summer, the Czech blueliner felt it was crucial to come to Calgary to get acclimatized to the organization and gain a better understanding of what he needs to work on heading into the Flames’ main training camp.

Nakladal, 27, describes himself as a two-way defenceman who has a physical edge to his game. He has played in the Czech Extraliga, KHL, and most recently, Finland’s SM-Liiga. In 50 games with TPS Turku last season, he scored three goals and 15 points. Nakladal signed a one-year contract with the Flames on May 19, 2015.

Mark Jankowski – Centre

The Flames’ 2012 first round pick was unable to participate in last year’s development camp due to injury so for fans who haven’t been keeping tabs on him at Providence College, this week’s on-ice sessions will showcase Jankowski’s progression.

The 20-year-old was a key component of Providence’s NCAA Championship run, scoring three goals and five points in the Hockey East tournament and NCAA tournament. At the Frozen Four, he had a goal — the game-winner — and an assist in the Friars’ 4-1 win over Omaha in the semi-final and netted his eighth marker of the year in Providence’s 4-3 win over Boston University in the final.

Adam Ollas Mattsson – Defence

Like Jankowski, Ollas Mattsson was also stuck on the sidelines at the 2014 development camp with a lower body malady. This will be his first on-ice sessions with the organization that drafted him in the sixth round (175th overall) at the 2014 NHL Draft.

The Swede spent last season with Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League, playing in 34 games. The 18-year-old is a shutdown defenceman who isn’t shy about using his 6-foot-4, 209-pound frame to punish his opponents.

Garnet Hathaway – Right Wing

The last year and a half has been a whirlwind for Hathaway. After finishing up his senior season at Brown, the right winger joined the Abbotsford Heat on a try-out basis in the spring of 2014. He attended the Flames’ camp last summer, ended up signing an AHL contract with the Adirondack Flames, and impressed the Flames’ brass so much that they inked him to an entry-level deal this past April. In total, he had 19 goals, 36 points, and 77 PIM in 72 games with Adirondack in the 2014-15 campaign.

This camp is his first step at pushing for a roster spot in Calgary and he intends on making the most of it.

Oliver Kylington – Defence

The Flames’ 2015 second round pick is entering his first development camp with a lot of buzz surrounding him. A highly-touted draft prospect throughout the past two years, Kylington saw his stock drop in the 2014-15 season after suffering an injury and playing for three different teams in Sweden throughout the year.

Known for his elite skating skill and offensive instincts, Flames’ general manager Brad Treliving loves the upside Kylington has.

“With Oliver, he’s an interesting player. Prior to the start of the year, this guy was talked about as one of the top players in the draft. He’s an elite skater, he’s as good a skater as there is in the draft. Now we’ve got to refine his game.”

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