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June 1, 2004
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Building the Flames way
The Calgary Flames are a study in contrasts. They’re a group of players who have bought into a system, yet it’s Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff who are largely responsible for their berth in the Stanley Cup final. Every player is responsible defensively and counted upon to forecheck, backcheck, even fight for the check at dinner. Yet they’re fast and dynamic and fun to watch. The Flames have been mostly quiet on the free agent front. They baptize their young players by fire, so to speak. Yet, very few players are home grown. The lineup that beat San Jose in the clinching game of the Western Conference final featured just three players drafted by Calgary - Chris Clark, Oleg Saprykin and Chuck Kobasew. Three others (Toni Lydman, Denis Gauthier and Matthew Lombardi)…
DRAFT PREVIEW 2004
51 Roman WICK Born: Dec. 30, 1985, Kloten, Switz. 2003-04: Kloten Jr. Pos: RW Ht: 6-1 Wt: 176 Shoots: L Central Scouting: No. 36 Euro, skater And the winner for Mr. Congeniality is Roman Wick. “He has the potential to be a Lady Byng winner,” said one European scout. “He is too kind to be a player. He’s too nice of a guy.” Mr. Nice Guy aside, Wick has a lot to offer. He has decent size and skill and plucky hockey sense. He had four goals in six games for Switzerland at the 2003 World under-18 tournament, but was injured and missed the 2004 World Junior Championship. Wick played on Kloten’s senior team this season and didn’t look out of place. It helped that he had one of the best development coaches in the game in Vladimir…
Nos. 13-16
13 Alexander RADULOV Born: July 5, 1986, Moscow, Russia 2003-04: Tver Pos: RW Ht: 6-1 Wt: 178 Shoots: L Central Scouting: No. 9 European skater Alexander Radulov is a speedy Russian winger who goes to the net with skill, but backs off a little when the opposition gets physical with him. “He is very skilled, very slippery and hard to catch and can beat you 1-on-l,” said a scout. “Some of the Russians over the years who had the great 1-on-l skills, they haven’t been intense. But this guy works all night.” Radulov has great agility, foot speed and is tough to contain. “I’ve seen him some nights where I thought he was a Finn, that’s how hard he was working,” said a European scout. It’s not often you see a Russian run people over to get to the…
Wings experts in later rounds
Sometimes it seems as if the Red Wings have everything money for the payroll, stars on the roster, fans in the stands. But there’s one thing they never have anymore - first round picks in the NHL draft. The Wings view them as assets more than building blocks for the future and often trade them in their seemingly perennial contention for the Stanley Cup. Detroit’s first round pick in 2004 was part of the package they sent to Washington for Robert Lang. So the Wings are without a first-rounder for the sixth time in eight years and hope they can get good players in the later rounds, as they did with Tomas Holmstrom (257th in 1994), Pavel Datsyuk (171st, 1998) and Henrik Zetterberg (210th, 1999). CALLING THE SHOTS The Wings have two top-quality…
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