Flames goalie signee Owen Say after his first trip to the Saddledome: ‘I just can’t wait to put the gear back on, throw a red jersey on’
Flames goalie signee Owen Say after his first trip to the Saddledome: ‘I just can’t wait to put the gear back on, throw a red jersey on’
Article content
Owen Say probably needs to focus on finishing his class assignments and cramming for his coming exams.
Article content
Article content
But the Calgary Flames college free-agent signing can hardly wait to get back into his goalie gear, a feeling that was only reinforced by the opportunity to spend the past several days in his soon-to-be hockey home.
Article content
During a whirlwind trip, Say attended a four-pack of games at the Saddledome — twice watching the Flames and twice watching the AHL’s Wranglers — and received a special presentation from his new boss.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
“To be handed a jersey with my name on it from Craig Conroy, that was so cool,” said Say, who has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Flames for the 2025-26 campaign. “It’s just a dream come true, really. The fact that my name is on an NHL team’s jersey is something that obviously helps with that feeling of it finally setting in. For me right now, it honestly gives me so much motivation.
Article content
Noon News Roundup
Article content
“My name is on that jersey, but it’s not time to be satisfied. There is so much work to do and now it just gives me even more excitement to start working on the things I need to do to get ready.”
Article content
Say departed Tuesday, headed back to complete the semester at University of Notre Dame, where he posted a 2.82 goals-against average and .920 save percentage this season as the go-to guy for the Fighting Irish.
Article content
While it’s not what his professors will want to hear, the 23-year-old now has a totally different type of homework on his mind.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The Flames are keen on his speed, his skating ability and his in-crease IQ. They believe, as director of goaltending Jordan Sigalet told Postmedia when the signing was announced, this latest addition to their puck-stopping pipeline “has some pop to his game” and “looks like a guy that has NHL upside.”
Article content
Stories You May Like
-
Martin Pospisil would be a playoff hit … but can he help Flames get there?
-
With junior season over, could Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh be on his way to Calgary soon?
-
Advertisement embed-more-topic
Story continues below
Article content
He will, of course, have to prove that in the minors first. That’s why the new netminder was all ears during his conversations with Wranglers goalie coach Mackenzie Skapski, who outlined some of the tweaks that he believes will be necessary for success at the pro level.
Article content
It wasn’t lost on Say as he witnessed a pair of superb performances by Dustin Wolf — “the guy moves like the wind,” he marvelled — that the Calder Trophy hopeful also credits Skapski for playing an important role on his climb to primetime.
Article content
“After talking with Mackenzie and going over my game, one thing that I need to do is just be more efficient,” said Say, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. “One thing that he really likes about me and one of the reasons they brought me here was my speed and quickness. But for him, how he sees it is … With it being a higher level, plays are being made faster, executed better, so one big thing for me is going to be that I need to lose a little bit of depth and be more efficient with my movements so I can beat plays, I can read plays better, be more set for shots, that kind of stuff. It’s just little things that are going to be worked on over time, until development camp (in July) and then obviously after development camp, too.