Brandon Hickey

[cross16]

13 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

How many D would that give us in the A? 

 

Kylington

Andersson

Kulak

Wotherspoon

Culkin

etc.

 

New Guy just signed, other guy in trade. 

 

Is there room for him?

 

 

Not now no but you don't have to sign him and get him playing right now either you can sign him to a contract effective next year. YOu can also just have him on a ATO and practice without playing and there is also the option of having him start in the ECHL. You've got lots of options and with 9 games left for Stockon and 7 for Adirondack you really arn't going to make a difference in Hickey's development by getting him to play now versus next year. 

 

Next year I don't think Culkin is back and I'll even be a bit surprised if Wotherspoon is back too. You have the likelihood of 1 guy grabbing an NHL spot and suddenly your D core doesn't look as deep, so I think there is definetely a spot for Hickey next year.

 

LIke I said, not the worst thing to send him back either I just hope it doesn't happen because i'm not thrilled with how BU is utilizing him. 

[MAC331]

2 hours ago, travel_dude said:

Right now, even without Hickey, the Flames have 8 D in Stockton.  Kulak is injured, but they will likely play Healey right now, as well as Ollas-Mattsson.  Wotherspoon can easily be sat along with Culkin.  Kostka is playing pretty well.

 

As far as Hickey going back to college, they probably want him to sign now, to get him under Flames control.  They also don't want to let it go to his final season, and risk losing him. 

At what point do they risk losing control of him ? if returning to college for another year allows him to walk away from the Flames then yes I agree they should nail him down.

[travel_dude]

8 minutes ago, MAC331 said:

At what point do they risk losing control of him ? if returning to college for another year allows him to walk away from the Flames then yes I agree they should nail him down.

 

If he returns to college this year, he would need to sign at the end of the season, or he goes UFA.

They chose to risk it with Janko.  It worked out.  

 

[robrob74]

25 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

If he returns to college this year, he would need to sign at the end of the season, or he goes UFA.

They chose to risk it with Janko.  It worked out.  

 

 

By August after his last college year? 

[MAC331]

19 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

If he returns to college this year, he would need to sign at the end of the season, or he goes UFA.

They chose to risk it with Janko.  It worked out.  

 

O well BT will figure it out . LOL

[travel_dude]

6 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

By August after his last college year? 

Yes, that's what I was referring to.  If he doesn't sign as soon as he is done at BU, then the fear would be he isn't signing.  But, yes they still have until August.

[cross16]

I'm really not concerned at all about him going UFA. Flames can offer him as good a deal as any, he's been at every camp and he and the organization have always spoke highly of each other and unless he has an unreal season I don't see there being enough interest that would pull him away from Calgary.

 

for the most part I think the UFA thing is much to do about nothing. Not many utilize it and I think the Flames would already know by now if they felt Hickey was planning on going that route. Whether or not he signs should be contingent only on where the best place is for his development. 

[travel_dude]

20 minutes ago, cross16 said:

I'm really not concerned at all about him going UFA. Flames can offer him as good a deal as any, he's been at every camp and he and the organization have always spoke highly of each other and unless he has an unreal season I don't see there being enough interest that would pull him away from Calgary.

 

for the most part I think the UFA thing is much to do about nothing. Not many utilize it and I think the Flames would already know by now if they felt Hickey was planning on going that route. Whether or not he signs should be contingent only on where the best place is for his development. 

 

The only concern he would have is the depth of LHS defenders.  But that changes every year, depending of the growth of other players in the pool.  

My issue with Hickey is that he is similar to a lot of guys we have in the system or in junior/college.  A puckmover.

Kylington, Kulak, Culkin, Fox.  Any of them could find a spot on the Flames, but space is limited behind Hamilton and Brodie.  

 

We need to balance out the lineup with the Regher types, in my opinion.  We have Gio on the Flames, but that is it.  Prospect-wise, we have Ollas-Mattsson, Healey, Rafikov (unlikely to come over), Falkowski, Bruce (not sure what type he is) and Kanzig (unlikely to ever play in the NHL).  

[cross16]

2 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

The only concern he would have is the depth of LHS defenders.  But that changes every year, depending of the growth of other players in the pool.  

My issue with Hickey is that he is similar to a lot of guys we have in the system or in junior/college.  A puckmover.

Kylington, Kulak, Culkin, Fox.  Any of them could find a spot on the Flames, but space is limited behind Hamilton and Brodie.  

 

We need to balance out the lineup with the Regher types, in my opinion.  We have Gio on the Flames, but that is it.  Prospect-wise, we have Ollas-Mattsson, Healey, Rafikov (unlikely to come over), Falkowski, Bruce (not sure what type he is) and Kanzig (unlikely to ever play in the NHL).  

 

I don't think the Flames are near as deep as most think. Good organizations have similar looking depth on their defence, especially when it comes to LH shot. I don't agree it is some strength for the flames like some due. I would call their depth slightly above average so if HIckey views that as discouraging then well good luck my friend.....

 

Puck moving is probably the biggest premium on Dman right now so if you want to argue the Flames have too many of them, well I don't quite get that. I get what you are saying sure you want a Regehr type if you can get it but I think puck movers are far move valuable in today's game so I will never consider it a bad thing to have too many. 

[AlbertaBoy12]

2 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

The only concern he would have is the depth of LHS defenders.  But that changes every year, depending of the growth of other players in the pool.  

My issue with Hickey is that he is similar to a lot of guys we have in the system or in junior/college.  A puckmover.

Kylington, Kulak, Culkin, Fox.  Any of them could find a spot on the Flames, but space is limited behind Hamilton and Brodie.  

 

We need to balance out the lineup with the Regher types, in my opinion.  We have Gio on the Flames, but that is it.  Prospect-wise, we have Ollas-Mattsson, Healey, Rafikov (unlikely to come over), Falkowski, Bruce (not sure what type he is) and Kanzig (unlikely to ever play in the NHL).  

Theres nothing wrong with a puck mover like hickey who has shown himself to be a very rugged player and a good defender. The regher type is going to the way side, I think players like hickey stand a way better chance of making the show then a healy type. Gio is not a regher type, hes rugged, and I would say hickey can be a very rugged player, I wouldnt worry about that with him. 

 

Like I said in a previous post, I think hickey stands the best chance after anyone not named andersson of making it to the show, and at this point its very close. Hickeys skating and defensive side of the puck is good. I remember watching him at the world juniors and even offensively he was very good, he plays a simple game.

[MAC331]

49 minutes ago, AlbertaBoy12 said:

Theres nothing wrong with a puck mover like hickey who has shown himself to be a very rugged player and a good defender. The regher type is going to the way side, I think players like hickey stand a way better chance of making the show then a healy type. Gio is not a regher type, hes rugged, and I would say hickey can be a very rugged player, I wouldnt worry about that with him. 

 

Like I said in a previous post, I think hickey stands the best chance after anyone not named andersson of making it to the show, and at this point its very close. Hickeys skating and defensive side of the puck is good. I remember watching him at the world juniors and even offensively he was very good, he plays a simple game.

Competition should bring out the best in our prospects not drive them away. Let's not forget good trades come from a position of strength so I say keep bringing in the quality players whether they end playing for us remains to be seen.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, AlbertaBoy12 said:

Theres nothing wrong with a puck mover like hickey who has shown himself to be a very rugged player and a good defender. The regher type is going to the way side, I think players like hickey stand a way better chance of making the show then a healy type. Gio is not a regher type, hes rugged, and I would say hickey can be a very rugged player, I wouldnt worry about that with him. 

 

Like I said in a previous post, I think hickey stands the best chance after anyone not named andersson of making it to the show, and at this point its very close. Hickeys skating and defensive side of the puck is good. I remember watching him at the world juniors and even offensively he was very good, he plays a simple game.

 

The only reason that th Flames don't get too pushed around is players like Gio and Engelland being Regher types.  By that I mean hard hitting.  Gio does it.  Engelland does it. Brodie does not.  Hamilton only does it because of his size advantage.  

 

Teams that have success these days have a mix of these type.  Burns, Manson, Larsson, Beauchemin, Doubty, Trouba, Hamonic are the guys that come to mind.  They allow the puckmovers to play their game.      

[robrob74]

BT just said they were trying to get something done with Hickey. They're trying to convince him. BT was just on the fan on pregame (probably an interview from earlier today).

[AlbertaBoy12]

3 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

The only reason that th Flames don't get too pushed around is players like Gio and Engelland being Regher types.  By that I mean hard hitting.  Gio does it.  Engelland does it. Brodie does not.  Hamilton only does it because of his size advantage.  

 

Teams that have success these days have a mix of these type.  Burns, Manson, Larsson, Beauchemin, Doubty, Trouba, Hamonic are the guys that come to mind.  They allow the puckmovers to play their game.      

and hickey isent just a puck mover, so I dont get your point.

[conundrumed]

I'd compare Hickey to Larsson, myself.

A lot of talent, but D first.

Every team needs that.

Prefer signing him soon.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, conundrumed said:

I'd compare Hickey to Larsson, myself.

A lot of talent, but D first.

Every team needs that.

Prefer signing him soon.

 

Larsson is one of the league leaders in hitting.  If that is part of the game that Hickey will bring, then he is more than welcome.  Brodie is not just a puck mover and really was excelling as a defensive D-man.  This year has been an off year in most respects.

 

As far as Hickey goes, I have not seen the hitting side of his game on display.  It's been awhile since he played in the WJC, and I didn;t see that then either.    

[MAC331]

8 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

Larsson is one of the league leaders in hitting.  If that is part of the game that Hickey will bring, then he is more than welcome.  Brodie is not just a puck mover and really was excelling as a defensive D-man.  This year has been an off year in most respects.

 

As far as Hickey goes, I have not seen the hitting side of his game on display.  It's been awhile since he played in the WJC, and I didn;t see that then either.    

Definitely fair to say Brodie is having an off year in many regards to is game. If there is one player that needs to pick up his game or lose his position next season it might be Brodie.

[rickross]

Jeez, almost forgot about this kid! I think he's still got the tools to be a good NHL D man, just haven't heard much about him of late!

 

7 hours ago, MAC331 said:

Definitely fair to say Brodie is having an off year in many regards to is game. If there is one player that needs to pick up his game or lose his position next season it might be Brodie.

Brodie has been frustrating at times this year but he's had different partners throughout the year so I don't think he had much of a chance to get settled until recently. I mean we had Grossman on our team for some time and you'd see sloths skate right by that guy. I still have faith in Brodie, 1 somewhat off season isn't enough to start calling for his head just yet. 

[MAC331]

1 hour ago, rickross said:

Jeez, almost forgot about this kid! I think he's still got the tools to be a good NHL D man, just haven't heard much about him of late!

 

Brodie has been frustrating at times this year but he's had different partners throughout the year so I don't think he had much of a chance to get settled until recently. I mean we had Grossman on our team for some time and you'd see sloths skate right by that guy. I still have faith in Brodie, 1 somewhat off season isn't enough to start calling for his head just yet. 

Really "until recently" it has been recently that he hasn't been very good. He is having a very trying year no matter what the reasons and needs to pull it together. I am not after his head, I like Brodie for what he has to offer when at the top of his game which hasn't been there this season.

[Crzydrvr]

On 3/28/2017 at 6:57 PM, MAC331 said:

Really "until recently" it has been recently that he hasn't been very good. He is having a very trying year no matter what the reasons and needs to pull it together. I am not after his head, I like Brodie for what he has to offer when at the top of his game which hasn't been there this season.

 

Should be noted that even with his relatively poor season, his ability to prevent shots against is still top pairing defenseman level. As a whole Brodie's still well worth his price, it's just difficult to separate what we see from what he is because people tend to remember big glaring screwups rather than subtle effective play.

 

In Hickey's case, I think people who expect him to be a physically dominant player are going to be disappointed. He's closer to a Vlasic type defensively than a Regehr in terms of style. Not all good defensive players have to be physical players, and I think there's a bit of an expectation for that to be the case, which is not necessarily always true.

[conundrumed]

On 3/27/2017 at 11:44 PM, travel_dude said:

 

Larsson is one of the league leaders in hitting.  If that is part of the game that Hickey will bring, then he is more than welcome.  Brodie is not just a puck mover and really was excelling as a defensive D-man.  This year has been an off year in most respects.

 

As far as Hickey goes, I have not seen the hitting side of his game on display.  It's been awhile since he played in the WJC, and I didn;t see that then either.    

I wasn't thinking in terms of being overly physical, but a d first dman that quietly helps you win games with consistently solid D and eating up effective minutes.

crzy made a better comparison with Vlasic, but that's only because his intellect is far superior to mine, lol or time on his hands, one or the other haha.

crzy, have you done any Hockey Canada schooling?

It's a good "in".

My cousin threw in when he was about 30, now he scouts the west for ewww, the Penguins.

I know a couple more back in Ontario and they prolly wouldn't have gotten there without the HC background.

 

[AlbertaBoy12]

2 hours ago, Crzydrvr said:

 

Should be noted that even with his relatively poor season, his ability to prevent shots against is still top pairing defenseman level. As a whole Brodie's still well worth his price, it's just difficult to separate what we see from what he is because people tend to remember big glaring screwups rather than subtle effective play.

 

In Hickey's case, I think people who expect him to be a physically dominant player are going to be disappointed. He's closer to a Vlasic type defensively than a Regehr in terms of style. Not all good defensive players have to be physical players, and I think there's a bit of an expectation for that to be the case, which is not necessarily always true.

I dont think hes a regher style either. But to compare gio to that regher style is also off base in my opinion,  I think hickeys a great defender, a great skater, and a great puck mover which all translate well to the next level. The regher style of play is not necessarily on the flames blueline, but what we do need our good defenders to balance out our offensive players and our poor depth at the NHL level.

[cross16]

Missed this, but BU named Hickey their captain for next season which would obviously confirm he is going back.  Makes me a little sad as I would have loved to see him go pro but the fact he will be their captain is exciting. Plus with Mcavoy gone I think they are going to have to lean on him hard which is great. 

 

 

[zima]

If he's going back it tells me he will be weighing his option next yr. Hope he doesn't end up in Edmonton thats all I got to say.

[cross16]

Maybe it does..

 

could also mean that he just didn't want to turn down a chance to captain a team that is a perennial contender for the National Championship and will likely have a very good team again next year. Stockton is deep too so you either be a top guy on a really good NCAA team or play a 3/4 role at best on a team in the A?

 

I think people make way too much of the whole NCAA free agency thing. Not many players in the grand scheme of things have exercised it.