Draft Review: Calgary Flames
With the first week of free agency now complete, we can continue our draft reviews. The Calgary Flames are next in our draft review series and they chose six players, including defenseman Tim Erixon with the No. 23 overall pick. Click here to read more about NHL Intel’s grading scale.
- 2009 Selections: D Tim Erixon, LW Ryan Howse, RW Henrik Bjorklund, LW Spencer Bennett, G Joni Ortio, C Gaelan Patterson
- Notable Decision: Trading for the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.
- Summary: The Flames stayed the course on day one, selecting one of the highest rated defensemen on the board in Tim Erixon. I think Erixon is one of the safest picks in the draft. His play if far from extraordinary, but he is smart, reliable, and consistent. The Flames then grabbed headlines on day two by trading the rights to defenseman Jordan Leopold and a third round pick to the Florida Panthers for the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. I love risky trades like this and it paid off with Bouwmeester signing a long-term deal with the Flames. Bouwmeester is a major talent and the Flames got him for a good price. Calgary took an interesting kid in Ryan Howse with their other third round pick. Howse scored 31 goals in 60 games last season in the Western Hockey League. The Flames also filled a need by drafting goaltender Joni Ortio, the No. 7 rated goalie among European goalies. Overall the Flames had a well-rounded draft and picked up an All-Star defenseman over the weekend as well.
