Calgary Flames Defensemen at the Mid-Season Mark
By Ramina Shlah
Mark Giordano
Oh captain my captain. Mark Giordano has had a bit of an interesting season. From his last few seasons where he’s getting somewhere between 0.68-0.78 points per game, he’s definitely not on pace for that this year. He currently has 18 points in 43 games.
However.
10 of those points have come on the power play, which is tied for the lead on the team. And it’s safe to say that he’s been a big factor in the Calgary Flames recent power play success. He’s also fourth on the team in +/- (5) and is tied for the lead with short-handed goals and short-handed points.
He’s also leading the team in blocked shots with 101. That’s 35 more than the second highest on the team and it’s also tied for fourth in the league in that category. He may not also have the most amount of points, but it isn’t for lack of trying. He’s leading the team in missed shots with 42. So you know. Just aim at the net more, Gio.
He may have also had a slow start, but in the last month or so, he’s definitely been a reason for success that the Flames have had since the start of December. Not just because of those points, but he’s the captain. He has an important leadership role that needs to push the rest of the players on this team to be the very best they can be.
If the halfway mark of the season was about a month ago, I’d say he’s been disappointing. I’m definitely eating my words now.
Dougie Hamilton
Teach me how to Dougie, t-t-t-teach me how to Dougie. Sorry, moving on.
When the Calgary Flames first got Dougie Hamilton with a steal of a trade, fans were ecstatic. But last season, he sort of under-performed and didn’t quite live up to his name.
And then this season started and it was the same story. However, after being paired up on the first defense unit with Giordano, he’s definitely picked his game up. He seems a lot more comfortable with the team now and seems more consistent.
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His points still aren’t the best, he has just 23 points in 42 games. However like I said, he’s been picking up his game lately. Of his six goals on the year, three of them were game-winners, with one coming in overtime. Just like Gio, he too has a lot of missed shots. He has 39 which is second highest on the team. He’s also leading the team in shots with 122, which is 22 more than the second highest. That’s also tied for fourth highest among defensemen.
So how is he doing at the mid-season mark? Not the best, but he’s doing alright.