'Formulate A Good Plan'

For some, it’s a welcome to Calgary.

For others, it’s welcome back.

The Flames are set to welcome their prospect group to Development Camp this week - a comprehensive on- and off-ice retreat with a focus on skill development, education and acclimatization.

Director of Player Development Ray Edwards says nine of Calgary’s recent 10 draft picks are expected to be on hand as well as some 2023 draftees - such as forward Aydar Suniev and goaltender Yegor Yegorov - both of whom missed the event last year.

“That’s always exciting, to see the whites of their eyes,” Edwards said Tuesday. “For our people, the strength people, the development people, the medical people and our development staff, to actually see them and get to know them, and put them through some paces so we can get a better understanding of where we’re at with them, so always getting them here is an important piece to that development model and development plan.”

This year’s Development Camp has a little bit of everything, including the Snowy Cup scrimmage Saturday morning at WinSport.

The focus, according to Edwards, is on skill refinement - drills designed to help identify areas of strength as well as things each prospect can continue to work on over the summer.

“It’s really skill-oriented, it’s skill development,” he said. “We’re not ready to kill them physically in these two or three days but we are going to do a scrimmage for the fans on Saturday, that will more typically be 3-on-3 or 4-on-4.

“We want to see the guys exercise their skills out there for the fans.”

The prospects will also take part in seminars over the course of the week, including a presentation on life as a professional athlete from Flames alumnus Jamie McLennan.

While another former Flame, Sheldon Kennedy, is set to speak to the group Wednesday evening.

Kennedy, named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014 for his courageous leadership in raising awareness of childhood sexual abuse and his continued efforts to prevent abuse in schools, sports and communities, will deliver a message Edwards feels will resonate with the prospects.

“With the landscape of today, we’ve got to make sure that we’re helping our kids," said Edwards. “Sheldon talks all the time about stepping up and stepping in, not being a bystander if you’re seeing something that’s not right. I think hearing it from a guy like Sheldon, who’s played and been through a lot of adversity and ups and downs in his career, there’s a connection that they’ll have with him.

“I think it’s an important message, sometimes those messages are tough but it’s important to have that (conversation).”

But it’s not all business - the team plans to take the prospects golfing in Kananaskis Country Friday, and Edwards stresses these types of team-building experiences will help set a foundation for the future.

“The group that’s coming in this year is joining the last couple years’ Draft classes, that group of say three Draft classes are likely to be coming up together, and possibly playing together for a long time, whether it’s with the Wranglers or the Flames,” he said. “It’s important to do some team-building things while we’re here.

“A lot of times what you find is, after these camps they all stay in touch on a team chat, and they’re all excited about becoming a Flame down the road.”

And for those prospects who make their way back to Calgary in September for training camp, the next week will help provide a sense of comfortability with their surroundings.

All part of the plan, according to Edwards.

“During this process, someone’s always reaching out to them,” he said. “Whether it’s (Senior Director of Hockey Administration) Mike Burke, or me, or development staff, or maybe it’s the coaches, so for them to put a face to a name, and when they come back in training camp, it’s way more comfortable for them, they’ve been through it. If they see a guy in the hallway, they know who it is and they can communicate with them.

“That piece is really important, but the bigger piece is making sure that we can formulate a good plan for them, and send them on their way with a good idea of what needs to happen moving forward.”