By Scott Fisher /
Last year’s march to the Eastern Conference Final was viewed as a pleasant surprise by most Calgary Hitmen fans.
Making a repeat trip to the WHL’s Final Four should be starting point for the 2007-08 Hitmen.
The club’s core is largely intact. And the holes left by departing players appear to be filled, perhaps even upgraded.
The single biggest vacancy was left by leading goal scorer Brodie Dupont, who turned pro with the New York Rangers organization.
But, just days before main camp opened, GM/head coach Kelly Kisio pulled off a deal he hopes will address his club’s biggest need.
Kisio dealt a third-round bantam draft pick to Portland for the rights to Calgary product T.J. Galiardi.
Kisio will look for the skilled 19-year-old, who spent the 2006-07 season with NCAA Dartmouth College (14 goals and 31 points in 33 games), to slide onto the wing alongside top scorer Ryan White.
“He’s a big guy and he’s very skilled,” Kisio said of the 6-ft. 2-in., 172-pounder.
“Any time you can add a top-line player to your hockey team, it’s huge for us.”
Galiardi (Colorado) and White (Montreal) will be among 10 Hitmen players away at NHL camps this September.
Other Hitmen leaving town include Carson McMillan (Minnesota), Alex Plante (Edmonton), Brett Sonne (St. Louis), Karl Alzner and Keith Seabrook (Washington), Ian Duval (Tampa Bay), Keegan Dansereau (Florida) and Bostjan Golicic (Atlanta).
Kisio trimmed his roster to 29 players following the annual Black & White game Sept. 2.
And with so many players away at pro camps, he won’t have to make any more cuts until just before the season opens (Friday, Sept. 21, against the Red Deer Rebels).
Optimism is running high in Calgary, and for good reason.
In addition to the projected top line of White, Galiardi and Keegan Dansereau, the club has offensive depth it hasn’t seen in years.
Sonne is expected to become an impact player in his third season.
Golicic, a Slovenian selected 40th overall in the summer CHL import draft, impressed with his skating and puck skills throughout camp.
“It’s a very big city,” Golicic said. “I’m very excited to be here because it’s a great organization and will be good for me to develop into a better player.”
Slovakian Martin Stepan (65th overall) also had a solid camp.
And the blueline, once again, will be one of the strongest in the league.
First-round NHL picks Alzner and Plante are joined by another NCAA product, Seabrook (younger brother of former Lethbridge Hurricanes star and current Chicago Blackhawk Brent). Those three will eat up a ton of minutes.
And the crease appears solid as well. Starting goaltender Dan Spence showed up to fitness testing in amazing shape and second-year backup Marty Jones will push for increased playing time.
There are also no changes behind the bench with Kisio (fourth year as coach, 10th as GM), associate coach Dave Lowry (third season) and goaltending guru Darcy Wakaluk (fourth season) returning.
It all looks good on paper.
Now it’s up to the Hitmen to prove it on the ice.
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