Calgary Flames training camp notes

A collection of my thoughts on Adam Klapka, Darth Vladar and PTO Sonny Milano.

Sonny Milano’s PTO

It was almost an afterthought.

Just days away from the beginning of training camp, the Calgary Flames announced they had signed Sonny Milano, formerly of the Anaheim Ducks, to a Professional Tryout (PTO) contract.  Milano was the third player signed to a PTO, following Cody Eakin and Michael Stone.

At first glance, this seems like a good “get” by GM Brad Treliving.  Milano had his career best season in 2021-22, scoring 14 goals and 34 points in Anaheim.  He punctuated his success by scoring arguably the most spectacular goal of the year, knocking in a pass that Trevor Zegras lobbed over the net from behind.  It would become known as the Michigan Pass.

Yet, questions remain.

Milano’s statistical success, along with the notoriety gained from appearing in highlight packs for weeks after scoring off the Michigan Pass, should have made him a candidate for a full time contract somewhere.  Certainly, he would not have been at the top anyone’s Unrestricted Free Agent list.  But, as the summer rolled on, and teams needed to bolster third and fourth lines, Milano was well positioned. No takers, though.

So why, then, was Milano relegated to a PTO, offered late?  And why the Calgary Flames?

I can’t really answer the first question.  He’s seemingly healthy.  His production in Anaheim  wasn’t awesome in the second half of last season, but neither was that of the rest of the team.  And it was still good enough to land him in 7th spot in team scoring.  So, it remains a bit of a mystery.

As for the the latter question, my feeling is that there were some disappointments coming out of the Calgary Flames Rookie Camp and the Young Stars Tournament in Penticton.  Jakob Pelletier, specifically, was talked about as having a good chance of making the team after a standout 2021-22 in Stockton.  However, he was invisible in the first two games at the Young Stars event.  Though he made a better showing in the third game, it evidently wasn’t enough.  The team felt they needed to take a look at Milano, another winger.

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So far Milano has not had a standout pre-season one way or the other.  He has no points and 6 shots in 3 games.  His offensive positioning has allowed him to get shots to the net, so the goals will come.  I do think he’s got an uphill climb when it comes to committing to Sutter’s demands for defensive responsibility, however.

Darth Vladar is no longer on Sutter’s dark side

What a difference an off-season makes.

There was a time, I wrote, when you couldn’t pry a kind word about Vladar out of Sutter’s mouth with a pair of pliers.  I mean, Sutter isn’t a verbal guy to begin with.  But, when asked about why Vladar wasn’t starting, the comeback would often be along the lines of, “we’re trying to win games here”.

Vladar started only 19 games for the Calgary Flames last year.  And apparently could not be relied upon in situations normally befitting a backup goalie.  You’d rarely see him, for instance, starting the second game of back-to-back affairs.  Nor would he start against basement-dwelling opponents.

Fast forward to now and Sutter is absolutely gushing about Vladar (to the extent that Darryl Sutter gushes).  In the 3-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken, Sutter was very complimentary of his performance in the post-game media availability.

As a fan, I hope this goodwill keeps rolling for Vladar.  More starts for the Czech backup means more rest for Jacob Markstrom.  Markstrom, it could be argued, simply ran out of gas against Edmonton in the playoffs last year.  Perhaps five or ten more games in the players box will translate to the deeper playoff run we are all hoping for.

I need more Adam Klapka

Much as been made about the young talent that could possibly make the Calgary Flames roster this year.  Names like Connor Zary, Jakob Pelletier and Connor Mackey have all been tossed around as players with a decent shot.  But the guy I really want to see more of is undrafted Czech, Adam Klapka.

Klapka is a tough guy to miss.  Standing 6’7″ and weighing in at 245lbs according to CapFriendly, he looks down on the entire training camp roster.  Only Nikita Zadorov comes close to sharing oxygen with him.

Despite carrying such a heavy frame, his skating doesn’t suffer.  But where he has really impressed Sutter is with his hands and hockey sense.  These, according to the Head Coach, are intangible and unteachable parts of a pro hockey player’s game.

For my part, it’s easy to get excited about a player who is himself so excited.  Watch his Flames TV interview below.  He’s thrilled to be a part of the NHL experience, and more than somewhat in awe of the perks of pro sports.  It is, at least to me, contagious.

His fighting, however, needs work.  As the biggest guy on the ice, he may be called to task now and then.  This was the case against Vancouver’s Vincent Arseneau in an early pre-season game.  Klapka’s fighting style could only be described as…awkward.  He was more defending than throwing haymakers.  Certainly not using his size to any advantage.

No player is perfect.  Perhaps Milan Lucic can offer up some tips.

For all his skill and excitement, I doubt that Klapka will make the opening night roster.  He will, however, make the Calgary Wranglers a better squad.