Calgary Flames 29 Days Until the Season Starts: #29 Deryk Engelland
By Ramina Shlah
There’s less than a month until the regular season starts up again! With only 29 days left, let’s take a look at a former Calgary Flames player with that number.
Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Everyday until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.
Yesterday we talked about a guy who will forever go down as one of the best goaltenders in Flames history. That was #30 Mike Vernon.
Today with 29 days left until the regular season starts (eeeee!) let’s look at #29 Deryk Engelland.
Related Story: 30 Days Until the Season Starts: #30 Mike Vernon
Who is Deryk Engelland?
Name: Deryk Engelland
Birth place: Edmonton, AB, Canada
Position: D
Shoots: Right
Birthdate: 1982-04-03
Height: 6’2” / 188 cm
Weight: 97 kg / 214 lbs
Drafted by: New Jersey Devils, 194th Overall 2000
Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:
Deryk Engelland was drafted in 2000, but as we can see from the stats, he didn’t play in the NHL until 2009 when he was 27. If you watched any Calgary Flames games this past season, you definitely know this. Since commentator Rick Ball couldn’t go one week without mentioning that fact.
(Love you Rick).
Actually fun fact, and I know this because Rick also mentioned it all the time, but Engelland’s wife took one multiple jobs so they could afford a trainer for him so he could fulfill his dream of playing in the NHL. So he gives her a lot of credit.
Calgary Flames
Engelland spent a lot of time in the AHL and ECHL (playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers – this becomes relevant) when he got the attention of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They signed him to a contract in 2007, but he would spend his time down in the AHL. He finally got a call up to the NHL in 2009 early in the 09-10 season. He had two assists in nine games with the Pens that season.
The following season, he finally got a full-time role with the Pens and he’s never looked back. That season, he had 10 points in 63 games, but a big 123 PIM. Former Pens head coach Dan Bylsma praises his aggressive, but smart playing style.
Via Post-Gazette:
"The good thing about Deryk is, he knows his game really well. He’s a simple defenseman with the puck. Makes the first pass. Makes the good, hard plays.He’s a tough customer, tough to play against in the defensive zone, but also an intimidating guy with the brand of hockey he can play."
In 2014, Engelland signed with the Calgary Flames on a three-year $2.9 million contract. I mean, I love Engelland and all but what made the Flames want to sign him at $2.9 million… I’ll never understand.
Hoping to be a part of a rebuild, the Flames ended up making the playoffs that season for the first time in six years. Engelland had 50 PIM in the playoffs alone in just 11 games. Sheesh.
At the end of this season, his contract was going to be done. And the Flames left him exposed in the expansion draft. Now, seeing how he used to play in the ECHL in Vegas a lot, he still has a house there and vacations there quite frequently. Since he was going to become a free agent, people assumed that Vegas wouldn’t pick him up since he would most likely sign with them anyways.
But they picked him up and seeing how he lived in Vegas for a while, he got quite the nice welcome from T-Mobile Arena.
(Skip to the 6:15 mark). He was one of the few players who were actually at the event and came out in a Golden Knights jersey.
Next: The Fleury Effect: Calgary a Destination for Good People
Congratulations to Deryk Engelland and all the best in Las Vegas! Oh and a fun fact: he has a son named Cash. He really does love Vegas.