Calgary Flames: Get to Know New Flame Travis Hamonic
During the second day of the 2017 NHL Entry Level Draft, the Calgary Flames acquired D Travis Hamonic in a trade. But who is Hamonic? Let’s get to know him here.
It was an exciting month of June for the Calgary Flames and GM Brad Treliving was a busy man. Some fun trades and signings took place, one being a trade for D Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders. The Flames acquired Hamonic during the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Level Draft for three draft picks, and the Flames also got another draft pick in return.
With the Flames not having a draft pick in the first three rounds next season, this shows that management is fully confident in the Flames being Cup Contenders next season. Even Treliving said that they’re ready.
With losing the somewhat-of-an-anchor that was Dennis Wideman, Flames fans were excited for the season to end. Especially after that disastrous first round. And now with adding D Travis Hamonic to the defence core, their blue-line is stacked.
But who is Travis Hamonic? He has been playing on the East Coast his entire NHL career, so Flames fans don’t get to see a lot of him. We already know about all the off-ice work he does with the community, which can be found here in case you’d like to know what a stand-up kind of guy he is.
Related Story: Travis Hamonic - Off-Ice Hero
But let’s take a look at his statistics:
| Scoring | Goals | Assists | Shots | Ice Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | EV | PP | SH | S | S% | TSA | TOI | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | HIT | BLK | TK | GV | Awards |
| 2010-11 | 20 | NYI | NHL | 62 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 4 | 103 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 118 | 4.2 | 256 | 1338 | 21:34 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 115 | 42 | 48 | ||
| 2011-12 | 21 | NYI | NHL | 73 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 6 | 73 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 124 | 1.6 | 294 | 1637 | 22:26 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 157 | 37 | 52 | ||
| 2012-13 | 22 | NYI | NHL | 48 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -8 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 83 | 3.6 | 189 | 1095 | 22:48 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 109 | 34 | 46 | ||
| 2013-14 | 23 | NYI | NHL | 69 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 68 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 134 | 2.2 | 308 | 1726 | 25:01 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 132 | 40 | 51 | ||
| 2014-15 | 24 | NYI | NHL | 71 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 15 | 85 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 132 | 3.8 | 306 | 1547 | 21:47 | 0 | 0 | 213 | 131 | 27 | 56 | ||
| 2015-16 | 25 | NYI | NHL | 72 | 5 | 16 | 21 | -5 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 3.4 | 331 | 1715 | 23:49 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 128 | 44 | 61 | ||
| 2016-17 | 26 | NYI | NHL | 49 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -21 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 74 | 4.1 | 157 | 1002 | 20:27 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 108 | 14 | 39 | ||
| Career | NHL | 444 | 26 | 120 | 146 | -7 | 452 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 99 | 19 | 2 | 812 | 3.2 | 1841 | 10060 | 22:39 | 0 | 0 | 857 | 880 | 238 | 353 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/28/2017.
Hamonic has played in the playoffs twice in his NHL career. Let’s check that out:
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/28/2017.
We can see that he doesn’t quite put up a bunch of points a season. But that’s alright! We talked to Michel Anderson, site expert for Eyes on Isles, our friends over at the New York Islanders side of FanSided, to give us some more insight on Travis Hamonic! Here is what he had to say.
Let’s have a Q&A!
I asked a few questions to Michel about Hamonic and he was kind enough to take time out of his day and answer them! Let’s check out how it turned out:
Question 1: For people who don’t know him very well, what kind of player is Travis Hamonic? (Is he fast, is he effective on the PP, etc.)
Michel: Travis isn’t fast and he isn’t offensively gifted. But what he’ll do for you is win puck battles. That sounds like a lame skill to have, but that’s exactly what you want from a 3-4 defenseman. During the Islanders playoff run in 2015-16, Sportsnet’s Dimitri Filipovic put out a stat about defenseman and their ability to break up play on at the blue line on dump ins and carry ins. Travis ranked amongst the best in the playoffs, with an 11.36% break-up percentage versus 50% dump ins and 39.77% carry ins.
Hamonic won’t score a ton of points, but under the right system he might surprise you; his best season with the Isles was a 33 point campaign in 2014-15. He blocks shots. He battles hard. And doesn’t mind getting into a dust up. He’s a heart and soul player.
Related Story: What Makes the Flames a Contending Team?
Question 2: That being said, do you think he’ll fit in well with a team like the Calgary Flames?
Michel: I don’t see why not. With the established defensive core that the Flames already have, Hamonic isn’t stepping in to be the catalyst for a new way to play the game. He’s steeping into a lineup that’s well established and just needed that extra piece to make them a cohesive unit.
He’s a Western Canadian guy so in terms of adjusting to the culture and the climate there shouldn’t be any issues. The Flames also acquired him pretty early in the offseason, giving Travis plenty of time to adjust, on a personal level to what Calgary has to offer. So, you know, go buy a really big truck.
Question 3: Hamonic has never played a full season in the NHL. I know he suffered an injury last season that’s kept him out of the lineup for a good chunk of the season. Do you think this will be a problem for him down the road with the Calgary Flames?
Michel: Welcome to the wonders of Travis Hamonic. It’s hard to say that he isn’t injury prone, because he is. Getting a full season out of him might be an issue. It’s not like the New York Islanders were running him out there 30 minutes a night. Hamonic plays a pretty physical game, that’s going to take a toll on him.
Maybe the Calgary Flames have better team doctors and can get Hamonic patched up quicker than the Isles could. Who knows. But that injury issue is a red flag for sure.
Question 4: Most Calgary Flames fans are ecstatic about this trade. How about Isles fans? Are you pleased with the trade?
Michel: We were ecstatic about the trade….and then we weren’t. It was a real quick turn around in Isles Fandom. It’s not that the return was bad, a first and two seconds? That’s fantastic. But the fans wanted GM Garth Snow to do something with those picks, like immediately. They wanted him to flip the picks to acquire a player like Matt Duchene. You know, something the Islanders could use today to help them win, today. Not picks that are only good as of 2018 (and 2019) on prospects that won’t be ready for a few years after that.
Unless for some reason the Calgary Flames tank and tank hard. (Editor’s note: Let’s hope that doesn’t happen).
Question 5: Do you think the Isles will be making a trade for another defenceman, or do you think they’ll be set and that they already have somewhat of a replacement?
Michel: The Islanders won’t trade for another defenseman. They already have a number of guys in the prospect pool that can step in right away. Just a few days ago the Islanders signed RFA Adam Pelech to a four year deal worth $1.6m per year. They also have Ryan Pulock who lit up the AHL last season with 46 points in 55 games. They also have Devon Toews who put up 45 points in 70 AHL games and won the AHL’s fastest skater award at their All-Star Game.
The Islanders have options, and good ones, on defensemen. It’s the centre position that is a worry now. After John Tavares the next best centre might just be rookie Mathew Barzal. Barzal is great prospect, but has much to prove on the big stage. That’s why the Isles wanted, and still want Matt Duchene so bad.
Thanks a lot for answering these, Michel! Make sure you go give Eyes on Isles a follow on Twitter @eyesonislesFS and go follow Michel @TLOMitch.
So what does this mean?
Well, based on Michel’s answers, its seems as though even though Hamonic doesn’t have a ton of points production, he can still contribute in other ways that can make the Calgary Flames a Cup Contending team.
And with the scoring abilities already by Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton, the Flames don’t quite need another D who always jumps up on the play. With Dougie not being incredibly fast, but Gio having that speed for that pairing, and that was one of the best pairings in the NHL last season, maybe we can get something similar with Brodie’s incredible speed and skating abilities that compliments well with Hamonic’s puck control.
Next: The Flames Should Re-Sign Alex Chiasson
And maybe Hamonic was the missing piece to the Flames contending puzzle.