Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames Prospect News: Valimaki, Zavgorodniy, Kirkland & Tuulola
The Calgary Flames are making news with their prospects. Three are headed to Europe, and one has signed with the Flames. Who’s where?
Without a firm sense of where the NHL is in terms of starting the 2020-21 season, the Calgary Flames are engaging in the now becoming more regular approach of sharing its prospects by allowing them to stay home and play within leagues where they live.
Related: Flames Checking In on Availability of Multiple NHL Goaltenders
It’s a smart move, actually. Given the lack of clarity around when the NHL might re-start next season and because young prospects could benefit from further development, allowing them to stay in their home countries to play seems like a no-brainer.
In this edition of Calgary Flames Prospect News, I’ll share the movements of some of the youngsters the Flames have within their organization. This includes three Europeans who are, indeed, staying in their home countries as a way to extend their development. Finally, I’ll share the news that a really local player from the province of Alberta has signed with the Flames.
Item One: Juuso Valimaki Has Been Loaned to the Finnish Elite League
Today it was reported that the Flames loaned Juuso Valimaki to Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish Elite League – the Liiga. The 21-year-old left-shot defenseman missed the whole of the 2019-20 season including the playoffs. He had suffered a torn ACL. He’ll use the time in Finland to get back on his game after rehab. Valimaki was a first-round draft pick (16th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
In 2018-19, when Valimaki last played, he split the season between Calgary (24 games) and the Stockton Heat (20 games). Because the European season is expected to start quite a bit before either the AHL or NHL seasons begin, playing in his home country of Finland with help Valimaki get some needed playing time under his belt after the injury. (From “Flames top prospect Valimaki loaned to Finnish club, Wes Gilbertson, Calgary Herald, 30/09/20).
Item Two: Dmitry Zavgorodniy Has Been Loaned to the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg
The 20-year-old Dmitry Zavgorodniy was recently loaned to the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. A smallish right-winger at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, Zavgorodniy just finished his third junior season by scoring 29 goals and 67 points in 40 games for the QMJH’s Rimouski Oceanic during the 2019-20 season.
There are hopes within the organization about his skill as a prospect, and he’s not likely to return to Rimouski for his overage season. Instead, it’s rumored that he will probably turn pro once the NHL’s training camps open. He’ll likely play with the Flames AHL affiliate in Stockton during 2020-21.
Item Three: Eetu Tuulola Has Been Loaned to Vasterviks IK of Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan
The third Flames prospect who’s been loaned to a European team is Eetu Tuulola. However, he won’t be playing in his home country but will be playing in Sweden with Vasterviks IK. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound right-winger has been moving back and forth between Europe and North America for the past few seasons. Last season with the Heat, Tuulola scored 10 goals, 13 assists, and 23 points in 50 AHL games.
Again, his loan to Europe simply makes sense because the European leagues will begin sooner than any of the leagues in North American. As a result, the 22-year-old Finn will play in Sweden for the time being.
Item Four: Alberta’s Justin Kirkland Signs One-Year Entry-Level Contract with the Flames
Last week, it was reported that Justin Kirkland had signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Calgary Flames. The contract is for $700,000 at the NHL level, but because it’s a two-way deal he’d make $95,000 if he played in Stockton. Kirkland was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round (62nd overall of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Last season with Stockton, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound Kirkland scored six goals and 28 points in 53 games AHL last season. The 24-year-old Camrose native has played 251 AHL games played and has scored a total of 97 points (31 goals and 66 assists). In 2015, Kirkland was a member of the WHL Champion Kelowna Rockets.
Next: Both Flames and Oilers Have Looked at Ekman-Larsson Trade [Report]
Kirkland has moved to Calgary full time to train with current roster players. He noted that “Personally, I feel like I’m ready. I’m hoping to get my feet wet this year, work to get my first call-up, and obviously try to make an impact if that does happen. Being a big body that can play center or wing, I feel like that can help a team. It seems like everybody is looking for a big centreman. So, I’m excited to be back for another year.”
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