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Mikael Backlund

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Zirakzigil Advanced Member

Zirakzigil

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Here you go:
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Thanks. I was looking yesterday on youtube and couldnt find it. I guess I was looking to soon or something.

Im really excited to see what he can do in the NHL. I was so happy that we drafted him and not another defenseman/goalie this year. He seems to have good speed, talent and doesnt shy away from the defense which is good to see at his age.

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cross16 Advanced Member

cross16

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I saw that several times yesterday when they were showing highlights. That really cracks me up. The only time I've ever seen Sutter excited was when the Flames drafted Phaneuf. :lol:

He was pretty excited when talking about the play of Backlund, and yes kelowna does own his rights and have been in contact with the Flames about getting him over there. They drafted him in the summer knowing the he was under contract with Sweden but are still hoping to bring him over.

kelowna is his best fit because he would be far and away their best offensive talent and play all kinds of offensive minutes. In Sweden he is the 3rd line center and rarley gets put out in good offensive situations. Kelowna also has a great program becasue they sill stress an all around game but at the same time don't pressure their players. It would be much better for Backlund's game and the flames if he were to play in Kelowna next year, but he still remains under contract with Vasteras.

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IggyForPresident Advanced Member

IggyForPresident

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I am very excited to see what he can do with the Flames in a few years. He is an exciting player to watch. I thought he played excellent against Canada in the gold medal game, and that goal against Russia was just unreal :)

I have always been worried about his knee. Didn't he have surgery? It doesn't seem to be affecting him too much now, but knees are scary. Good thing he has such a strong work ethic...maybe now his knee is stronger than ever.

I am just happy that Calgary drafted such a skilled player rather than some run of the mill hulking d-man!

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Zirakzigil Advanced Member

Zirakzigil

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I am very excited to see what he can do with the Flames in a few years. He is an exciting player to watch. I thought he played excellent against Canada in the gold medal game, and that goal against Russia was just unreal :)

I have always been worried about his knee. Didn't he have surgery? It doesn't seem to be affecting him too much now, but knees are scary. Good thing he has such a strong work ethic...maybe now his knee is stronger than ever.

I am just happy that Calgary drafted such a skilled player rather than some run of the mill hulking d-man!

His knee was why his value fell in the draft but his medical checkup and when Sutter interviewed him before the draft he said there was nothing wrong. He seems to have a great work ethic as well which doesnt hurt. I am also grad that the Flames drafted him then another defenseman.

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Redslinger Advanced Member

Redslinger

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For the record: Backlund is not the second coming of Peter Forsberg.

For the record, part deux: Boyd was better in the World Juniors than Backlund was. Pustinnen also was very good as was Taratuhkin.

For the record, part trois: Nystrom, who didn't play in the WJ, may end up being the best of the three.

In summary, his performance in the WJ was nice but means very little when translated to the NHL. He could turn into a Tanguay or a Fata or anything inbetween. I certainly wouldn't pencil him onto to the top line (or anywhere near it) just yet.

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Morgoth Advanced Member

Morgoth

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Whenever Flames prospects do well at the Juniors I remind myself of the great Daniel Tkaczuk. Of course, Iggy was once a force there as well, and he turned out sort of ok.

It's a good sign, nothing more. Conversely, it wouldn't be the end of the world if Mikael had struggled in the tourney.

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The_People1 Advanced Member

The_People1

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Whenever Flames prospects do well at the Juniors I remind myself of the great Daniel Tkaczuk. Of course, Iggy was once a force there as well, and he turned out sort of ok.

It's a good sign, nothing more. Conversely, it wouldn't be the end of the world if Mikael had struggled in the tourney.

I think the key to look for in young kids is flashes of absolute brilliance and Backlund showed us some of that in this tourny. His game winning goal against Russia is good indication of this brilliance. He was going 1 on 2 up ice and was a non-threat. He had seemingly no play to make but decided to kick it into 6th gear and drive around the Russian Dman. Then, he made an NHL calibre move to get a shot to the net and sent the Russians home packing.

That's the kind of stuff that we should be concerned with. When a kid makes an extraordinary play that makes you believe they are NHL bound.

In comparison, the last WJ tourny i followed closely had Cammalleri and Jared Aulin as team Canada's top line players. Aulin was generally bigger, faster, and more dominating than Cammalleri all around but Cammalleri showed flashes of brilliance when he unleashed his wrist shots on goal. Aulin had no answer. With that, Cammalleri looked destined for the NHL while Aulin looked destined for an AHL career.

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Boblobla Advanced Member

Boblobla

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Whenever Flames prospects do well at the Juniors I remind myself of the great Daniel Tkaczuk. Of course, Iggy was once a force there as well, and he turned out sort of ok.

It's a good sign, nothing more. Conversely, it wouldn't be the end of the world if Mikael had struggled in the tourney.

Iggy was not a flames prospect though...

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