Calgary Flames prospects kept the pace high on Sunday afternoon as training camp rolled into its second day of on-ice work at the historic Scotiabank Saddledome, with Brent Sutter’s group getting a clear taste of what’s coming Monday night in the NextGen Showcase against Edmonton Oilers prospects.
The biggest takeaway from the session was simple: this was a drill day built around speed, puck battles and structure. The goalies - Arsenii Sergeev, Kirill Zarubin and Owen Say - were out early with a couple goalie coaches and six skaters, Kyle Walker, Abram Wiebe, Kent Anderson, Andrew Basha, Matvei Gridin and Carter Wilkie, before the full group took over and the work sharpened into more line and pairing-based reps than Saturday featured.
That shift changed the feel of the ice. Instead of the broader, more general flow from day one, Sunday’s work kept circling back to unit play.
One drill had a forward dump the puck into the offensive zone against a full five-man group and then try to recover it. Then came a three-man version of the same task, then a five-man version.
Another set of battle drills put a forward trio against a defensive pair, with the D group “winning” by clearing the puck past the top of the circles and the forwards taking the drill by getting a clean shot on net. Puck possession, pace and details were the emphasis throughout.
Compared with Saturday, when the tempo appeared to catch some players off guard at times, Sunday brought a sharper response. The group looked more comfortable with the speed, and the energy stayed high right through the session.
The lineup and pairing picture also came into clearer focus. Up front, Matvei Gridin skated with Tyson Gross and Aydar Suniev, while Simon Katolicky lined up with Riley Boychuk and Joe Iginla. Chase Harrington was with Jonathan Castagna and Andrew Basha, and Ryder Boulton centered Will Dineen and Quinn Olson, with Carter Wilkie rotating in on that fourth line.
On the back end, Abram Wiebe paired with Kent Anderson, Axel Hurtig with Jakob Leander, and Mace’o Phillips with Bode Laylin. Kyle Walker rotated in on various pairs.
In goal, Sergeev, Zarubin and Say shared the work, with Semyon Konopsky joining them later for a separate goalie session after the main group wrapped.
The Flames will hold a morning skate Monday before facing Edmonton that evening at the Saddledome. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. MT, with the game streamed on the Flames’ website and app.
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