Development remains Calgary's top priority

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By Craig DeVrieze | Wednesday, April 9, 2008 1:05 AM CDT | () comments

Darryl Sutter can’t tell you what the 2008-2009 Quad-City Flames roster might look like next October.

He can assure you, though, that his Calgary Flames will not follow the lead of some American Hockey League parent clubs and load up on veteran players for the sake of building a playoff contender.

“The American Hockey League is a developmental hockey league. Very simple,” the Calgary general manager said during a visit to the Quad-Cities last weekend. “The teams that don’t look at it like that might have more older players, but those players aren’t NHL players.”

Emphasizing player development is the Calgary way.

“That’s not the Calgary way — that’s the winning way,” the veteran NHL GM and coach corrected.

Winning at the NHL level, that is. Sutter said the Quad-City Flames’ inability to reach the AHL playoffs this year isn’t considered a failure by the parent club.

“I’m sure for the players, it is disappointing, but everybody is at a different stage of their career,” he said. “The priority is to develop hockey players. First and foremost.”

That said, Michael Holditch, Calgary’s vice president of hockey administration and chief financial officer, said the organization did expect to field a playoff contender in its inaugural season in the Quad-Cities after winning the Western Conference last year.

He pointed to a late-summer decision by center Andrei Taratukhin to stay and play in Russia and the early-season departure from the Q-C by promising rookie center Dan Ryder as season-changing developments.

“Those were unforeseen occurrences,” Holditch said.

He also said some early decision making on personnel was hampered by the uncertainty of where the Calgary farm team would be playing last spring, when a late May announcement heralded Triple-A hockey’s arrival in the Quad-Cities market.

“I think with a better understanding of where we are playing in April, May and June, we will be able to make hockey decisions that will benefit the area,” he said. “But having said that, everybody is a year older next year and will have this year to think back on and build upon going into next year.”

Certainly, young players such as rookies Matt Pelech, Brett Sutter, Matt Keetley, Gord Baldwin and Brad Cole and developing second-year players such as Kris Chucko and Tim Ramholt can count on next year.

But decisions will have to be made when or before 12 current Quad-Cities players reach free agency on July 1.

Sutter said the Flames have not begun to ponder such decisions.

“The (NHL) playoffs haven’t started this year,” he said. “Can’t talk about next year.”

Sutter did say he is satisfied with the Flames’ first season in the Quad-Cities, particularly with the close travel within the division, the accommodations within the i wireless Center and the easy travel to and from Calgary.

“Had a good year,” he said. “I wish there was more people at the games.”

Holditch said the Q-C Flames’ attendance average of 3,509 — 27th in the 29-team AHL — also was a byproduct of a late start.

“We learned that it’s hard to buy a hockey team and launch it in June,” he said. “The other thing that was learned is that the Quad-Cities is a hockey market and that with work on this organization’s part it can be successful.”

The team averaged 4,100 a night over its last eight games, and Holditch said front-office expansion behind newly hired Q-C CEO Neil Bossola should help carry that momentum into the offseason.

“With Neil in the office and (vice-president) Tim (Taylor) still there, they are better equipped,” Holditch said. “I’m not taking anything away from the people they had, but with more people and more hockey experience and marketing experience, they will be more successful.”

Holditch also commended the commitment and efforts of the Quad-City Sports Ventures ownership group and stressed the Calgary organization will provide more help and input this offseason on the business side.

More fans in the seats, he said, just could help make the hockey team a contender again next year.

“It’s the chicken and the egg — you bring more people in to watch these players, they will play better,” Holditch said.

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.