Flames sign pair of NCAA defencemen to entry deals
Both free agents from NCAA ranks bring some big-league bloodlines with them
This could spark a family feud.
Colton Poolman just signed with the Calgary Flames, one of a pair of free-agent defencemen inked Friday out of the NCAA ranks.
His older brother Tucker, already on an NHL payroll, was reportedly hoping the puck-chasing siblings could reunite with his Winnipeg Jets. Sorry, bro.
“It could divide some lines in the house,” Colton, the captain of the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, said with a chuckle. “It obviously would have been cool to play with him again, but I did that in college. And I know he is just extremely happy for me. I think it will be a fun thing for our family to go back and forth with.
“It was nothing but congratulations (Friday). He was really happy for me and excited to see some of my dreams come true.”
Although the games are currently paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was finally some excitement Friday for Flames fans, with both Poolman and Connor Mackey scribbling their names on one-year, entry-level contracts for the 2020-21 campaign.
Mackey, a workhorse for the Minnesota State Mavericks, was one of the most sought-after free agents in this latest college class.
“They’re both real good allaround players,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving of the undrafted additions, both left-handed shots. “And these aren’t 19-year-old players. They’re physically mature. They’re socially mature. And they’re going to be pushing, sooner rather than later, to be NHL players.”
Mackey, 23, notched seven goals, 17 assists and a team-best plus-23 rating in 36 outings with the Mavericks this winter. The six-foottwo, 205-pound rearguard was named a first-team all-star in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.the 24-year-old Poolman checks in at six-foot-one and 198 pounds. He scored four times and added 13 helpers in 31 appearances as a senior, wearing the “C” for the second straight season for one of the NCAA’S most prestigious programs.
Like Poolman, Mackey has bigleague bloodlines. His father, Dave, totalled 124 loggings on behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota North Stars and St. Louis Blues.
Diehard fans might also recognize Mackey’s name as a free-agent invitee to Flames’ development camp in 2017.
He’s been on their radar since. In fact, they were willing to offer him a contract last spring before he opted to return for a third season with the Mavericks.
“Honestly, their interest level in me has been so high for the past couple of years,” Mackey said. “I think building those relationships with the staff there throughout the past couple of years and the conversations we’ve had, it’s been great. It’s comforting to know that they’ve been there since Day 1, too. And, ultimately, I think this is a great opportunity for me and it’s where I think I can be an NHL player and develop my game. When I chose to go back to school, the way they handled me was just so professional. They respected all my decisions and their interest never fluctuated.”
It just so happens that when the Fighting Hawks and Mavericks faced off in mid- October, the Flames had two representatives — assistant general manager Craig Conroy and college scout Billy Powers — there to watch.
Both courtships were successfully completed Friday.
The hugs and handshakes, of course, will have to wait.
Same goes for their initial auditions at the pro level.
“I think Connor is going to be a guy who can match up against top players,” Treliving said of Mackey, who hustled to complete a management degree in just three years. “He’s a big guy who skates well, really mobile, can move the puck and can touch all parts of the game.”
The Flames’ general manager projects Poolman as a “hard-rock defender” and a reliable penalty-killer and added he arrives with a terrific reputation.
“Colton is a real character-type guy,” Treliving said. “When you talk to the people at North Dakota, and those coaches have been there for a long time, they talk about him being right near the top of the list of character people for their program over the last 15 years.”
That’s especially meaningful when you consider the University of North Dakota has pumped out Nhlers, guys like Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Brock Boeser and Tucker Poolman, now in his first full season with the Jets.
“It’s been invaluable just to watch him and talk to him every day and every week and just see what is going on and how he’s adjusting to the life and the league and everything,” Colton Poolman said of his older brother. “Any advice he has given me, I try to put it in the memory bank and try to carry that into my own game. Little tips here and there, it’s certainly been a huge advantage to have him as a resource who is a couple of years ahead of me.”
Friday’s signing, for both new guys, is an important starting point.
“It’s been a lifelong dream, trying to make it to the NHL,” Colton said. “Obviously, there’s still a lot more steps to be taken until that happens. But the first little steps have been taken anyway, so I’m just very excited and happy at the moment.”
Echoed Mackey: “My mindset is already thinking ahead, so I’m excited to get after it. I obviously haven’t played a game of pro hockey yet, it just makes me hungry. It’s hard to compare to where I’d be at with other people, but mentally I believe I’m ready, and I’m just excited to get going.”