Calgary Flames D Dougie Hamilton impresses coach & captain on first day
First impression.
Fast impression.
Dougie Hamilton’s first official skate as a member of the Calgary Flames was a practice session Friday at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre, and the 22-year-old blueliner didn’t waste any time — or any strides — putting a smile on the face of his new boss.
“I don’t know if you watched the skating tests at the end, but I believe he was the fastest of his group,” beamed Flames head coach Bob Hartley. “We told you we got younger, we got bigger and we got faster. Well … here’s the proof right there — he was the fastest player in the skating test.”
Indeed, the new guy — unless you ‘summer’ on Jupiter, you’re probably aware that Hamilton was acquired in a draft-day swap with the Boston Bruins — can wheel.
And Hartley wasn’t the only guy who noticed, although there were some accusations that the 6-foot-5, 212-lb. defenceman might have an unfair advantage.
“He destroyed everybody in the mountain, so that was pretty impressive,” marvelled Mark Giordano, the backbone of the Flames’ blueline brigade. “But I think one stride is worth three of anyone else’s, so it’s a little easier for him.
“He’s an impressive skater, for sure. He’s a lot like (fellow Flames defenceman TJ Brodie) — he just skates really well and it just seems so effortless and easy for them and pisses off the rest of the guys who don’t skate so smooth.”
For at least the next couple of days, Giordano will be getting an up-close look at that smooth stride.
The Flames’ captain was paired with Hamilton for Friday’s practice and they’ll skate side-by-side again in scrimmages both Saturday and Sunday.
Hartley cautioned the current forward lines and defence duos are only a starting point, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see No. 5 and No. 27 logging their shifts together on opening night.
“Just to see me paired with him, it’s exciting,” Hamilton said. “It’s an opportunity to learn from him and watch him and try to be like him. It was a lot of fun the first day, and I’m looking forward to keep learning stuff …
“I think it will be an adjustment, seeing how all the different D play,” he added. “Hopefully, we can mesh well.”
Giordano isn’t worried about that. He figures the lanky lad — Zdeno Chara’s sidekick on the top tandem in Boston for the past two winters — will fit right in.
“He really has all the tools,” Giordano said of Hamilton. “He’s big, he skates well, he shoots the puck well, and he’s a good passer. There’s really no holes that I can see.
“I’m really happy to have this guy on our team, because he’s so young and has such a good upside. I think he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”
Hamilton is signed to spend the next six campaigns in Calgary, but you only get one chance to leave a first impression.
With his performance Friday in the gruelling skating drill known as the mountain, Hamilton ensured it was a positive one.
The boss was impressed.
The captain was impressed.
And the new guy?
“I was just trying to breathe after.”
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