Music: {allcanada} FLAMES EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM BACKLUND THIS SEASON

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

{allcanada} FLAMES EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM BACKLUND THIS SEASON

1 month FREE when join ChristianSingles.com

While hockey fans in Calgary may be scratching their heads over a strange series of off-season moves that has seen the team bring back banished players Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay into the fold, there is real reason for optimism.

The bright light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of 21-year old Mikael Backlund who the Flames feel is a future cornerstone of the franchise.

After a year of bouncing back and forth between Calgary and their AHL affiliate in Abbottsford (with a short stopover in Germany for the World Hockey Championship for good measure), Backlund is ready to make a permanent home in Calgary, something that his coach in Abbotsford believes that he is ready for.

"He really worked hard to give himself a chance to come play in Calgary," said Heat head coach Jim Playfair, in town watching several of his players compete at Flames' prospect camp. "He did very well when he played here. He came back to Abbotsford for a long road trip and you could tell that he was a different player."

Most within the Flames organization credit Backlund's maturity and positive attitude when they discuss reasons that they believe that the slick Swede will be a key player for Calgary this upcoming season.

"From an organization's point of view he had the perfect year for a young, developing player and we expect him to be a Calgary Flame," said Playfair.

"There was no steps backwards for him," Flames' Western Pro Scout Ron Sutter concurred. "When he went down (to Abbotsford) I think he elevated his game. He had shifts and complete games where he was the best player on the ice."

Despite scoring only one goal and adding nine assists in 23 games with the Flames last season, the 21-year old Backlund is expected to be featured in a much bigger offensive role in Calgary this season. All but assured a roster spot, Backlund will be given every opportunity to crack one of the team's top two scoring units and potentially centre a line featuring Captain Jarome Iginla. Backlund feels the experience that he gained this past year will help him exponentially in the long run.

"It was good for me to play a long season so I can be ready in the future to play in the Stanley Cup finals," said Backlund.

With a full season of professional hockey and 24 career NHL games under his belt, Backlund is a bit of an anomaly at camp as he is competing alongside players who are getting their first sniff at big league action. It is an advantage that Backlund acknowledges.

"When I got sent down during the Olympic break I knew that if I played well enough that I would get called back up again," said Backlund. "So I played as well as I could and got my speed up and my confidence level."

Backlund worked extremely hard over the past season, working on his defensive game in the hopes of establishing himself as a two-way threat in the mould of other Swedish-born centres such as Henrik Zetterberg and Peter Forsberg.

"He understands what pressure is, and very few kids have that in them to rise to that occasion," said Sutter. "Michael has proven that he is very capable of doing that."

After a season in which there was very little good news, the thought of Backlund leading the team in the future has to be a welcome thought for most Flames fans.