The future of Zalyn Aidar Suniev has a bright future

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The story begins with Craig Conroy having a few hours to fill on a late summer afternoon in BC's Okanagan Valley.

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Conroy, then the Flames' assistant general manager, has been part of Calgary's contingent at the 2022 Young Stars Classic prospect tournament in Penticton since being promoted to the top job.

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Between a morning skate and a Saturday night game, he could have lunch on the sun-drenched rink, go for a swim in the lake, or try to sneak in a round with a set of rental clubs.

Additionally, the Junior-A Penticton Vees played in a preseason matinee. So Conroy returned to the rink, obsessed with his explorations.

This was the first time he saw Aidar Suniev, a left winger holding a rifle.

“I had never heard of him before, never seen him, but he really caught my eye,” Conroy recalled. “Oh, who is this guy? »

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This guy is one of the most exciting forwards in Calgary's future pipeline right now.

A lot of attention was paid to Egor Sharangovic and Tyler Toffoli, who switched sides during the draft week trade between these two teams during the New Jersey Flames to dance with the Devils on Thursday.

But don't forget Suniev, 19, who was selected with the third-round pick that Conroy acquired as part of that package.

“As I've written in my reports to senior management as we've gone through this development process, there's a lot to like about this kid,” Flames director of player development Ray Edwards said.

After finishing third in the BCHL scoring race last season with 90 points in 50 games, Suniev is now a freshman for the NCAA's UMass Minutemen. Cale Makar is a star graduate of this prestigious program.

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“I don't know if I've ever met a kid — if I have, it's not much — he's trying to do whatever it takes to get to the NHL,” Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel Suniev said. “It's just continuous. These are his decisions about what he eats. That's the extra time he gets on the ice. This is his extra time on the rink.

“He's just ready to be an NHL player. It's impressive.”

It may be a few years before Suniev is ready to compete for an NHL job, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that he could eventually be a factor for the Flames.

Edwards described her as “very mature” and “very intelligent” and her dedication and determination were evident from a young age. At the age of 14, barely able to speak English at the time, he moved from Russia to North America to pursue his hockey dreams.

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Listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Suniev already has a professional frame.

He has plenty of offensive tools — instincts, vision and a willingness to attack the net, which makes him especially dangerous when he works to add another gear to his skating — and can really rip it off. Fred Harbinson, the Wes' longtime coach, told Postmedia on draft day that the rookie left-hander “is going to be a high-achieving NHL team right now.”

At UMass, where he had eight goals and nine assists in 23 games as a college freshman and earned a Hockey East Rookie of the Week nod in mid-December, Suniev is learning his defensive details. As he said in an interview earlier this season: “I would say I know how to play with the puck, but playing without the puck is the biggest focus for me right now. It's definitely going to help me establish those habits right now, to be good at the next level.”

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“He was an intimidating threat for us early on,” Carvel said. “He plays the first power play. He is ready to compete. He needs to learn to play better without the puck, which is not something we expected. He is growing and he is very trainable. He wants to train. He wants to know everything he needs to know to make it to the NHL.

“He's never had to check before and it's going to take him a while to learn how to do it. But the size and preparation and ability to read the game, that's what it takes and he has it all. It needs to be repeated. He needs games. It just needs time. He is where he needs to be in his development.”

The brass at the Saddledome wonder where this road will lead.

Sharanovic has been good with the Flames — the 25-year-old led the team with 20 goals when he returned to the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Thursday — and if Suniev can, this trade with the Devils will be even better. complete the climb from perspective to primetime.

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As is his trend, it's a good thing Conroy took to the rink in broad daylight in September 2022 to scout a stacked group that will lose multiple games throughout the season.

“(Suniev) really stood out and I remember thinking, 'I've got to go to Penticton a few times to see this guy,'” said Conroy, who later made a tandem trip with Flames director of amateur scouting Tod. Button. “So I've been going back throughout the year to see it at different points. It's amazing with this team, they've won a lot of games, but they've always played with the same discipline whether they're up 8-1 or down. Aidar did not change his mind. It did not go into point mode. He always played right.

“It's gotten better and better for me every year. So to get him in the third round, I'm really excited.”

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