CALGARY — Last year there was more talk about Yegor Sharangovichâ€s work with Lego than there was about his game.
One year after piecing together a team-high 31 goals, the Belarussian winger dropped to just 17, prompting plenty of concern his five-year, $28.7 million contract extension might not age well.
Invisible on many nights and unable to build enough chemistry to get his deadly shot off with enough regularity, Sharangovich is tasked with trying to be more relevant more often.
On Tuesday he found his scoring touch with a nifty redirect to open the scoring in a 4-1 pre-season win for the Calgary Flames over Seattle at the Dome.
Itâ€s a good sign for a player who said he spent increased time on the ice this summer with an eye on getting off to a stronger start — something he was unable to do last year after suffering an injury in the final pre-season game.
“When youâ€re healthy going into the season itâ€s so nice,†said the soft-spoken 27-year-old, who played alongside Rory Kerins and Matvei Gridin Tuesday.
“Really, just work hard in practice and do the same in the game. When youâ€re playing hard you always have chances to score and do something good for the team. You just need to play hard.â€
Indeed, he is aware intensity is an issue, as he needs to work on his board battles and engagement.
“I think itâ€s much the same as we had last year for him, we feel like when Sharon is hard on pucks, when heâ€s committed to getting into the battle a little bit more often his game comes along nicely,†said coach Ryan Huska.
“Thatâ€s probably one of the bigger messages.
“I said last year I probably had a hand in his slow start. He had an injury to start with, not ideal, your last game of the exhibition season.
“I bounced him from the middle of the ice to the wing and I didnâ€t really give him an opportunity to get himself going.
“The hope and the belief for me this year is heâ€s going to be much more committed, and I think looking for a fresh start as well. He wasnâ€t happy with the way last year went, so I think weâ€re going to get a better Sharon this year.â€
A look at four other players who stood out Tuesday:
Kerins scored 33 goals to lead the Wranglers last season, was an AHL all star, had a point per game and snagged four assists in his five-game NHL debut.
Yet, few mention the 23-year-old when talk surfaces of who might be the first call-up if the Flames need a centre.
He made a solid case for himself Tuesday with a nifty finish in tight that saw him roof an early second period go-ahead goal past Philipp Grubauer while on the power play.
It was part of a two-point night in which he also did some nice work in the corner to help set up Sharangovichâ€s goal.
“I feel like in a lot of ways itâ€s kind of like my first pre-season, so this is very exciting for me and something I would have killed for the last three years,†said Kerins, who wasnâ€t given a single pre-season assignment last year.
“Projections are projections and Iâ€m just going there and doing my best and playing the game I love and having a lot of fun with it.â€
Wolf only faced 13 shots in his two-period pre-season debut, but showed enough to inspire confidence heâ€s ready to shoulder an even bigger load this year as the face of the franchise.
Wolf was beaten just once before giving way to Owen Say to start the third period, leading 2-1.
“Rocky the first 15 minutes to kind of kick off the rust, just kind of antsy out there, but settled in in the second,†said Wolf.
“Thatâ€s the opportunity of pre-season, you want to get touches and feel the way I want to feel.â€
Parekh didnâ€t stick out as much as he did against Edmonton Sunday, which is a good thing.
Give his partner Kevin Bahl plenty of credit for that, adding a stability to the pairing that Parekh enjoyed the night of his NHL debut.
Parekh wasnâ€t hard enough on Mitchell Stephens when he scored Seattleâ€s lone goal, but the 19-year-old, who will be a story every night he plays, finished the night plus-1.
Running the top power-play unit with confidence, Parekh barely missed connecting early in the third on a nice pass while driving the net.
“I thought he did a good job, not just with the power play but we were fairly liberal with who he was on the ice against for the majority of the night and I thought they did a really good job together,†said Huska, who gave Parekh almost 22 minutes of ice time.
“Bahler is very steady…and I think it allowed Zayne to play his game a little more than from what we saw against Edmonton.â€
- 32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Latest episode
Zary was noticeable throughout the evening, driving play, creating chances, picking up an assist and three shots on goal on a line with Justin Kirkland and Adam Klapka.
Zary was the recipient of four significant hits, including one blast by Mason Marchment that had him skating back to the bench at the end of the shift shaking his head.
This is a big year for Zary, who signed a bridge deal after what was essentially a lost season last season when he suffered two separate leg injuries.
Huberdeau – Frost – Coronato
Zary – Kirkland – Klapka
Sharangovich – Kerins – Gridin
Stromgren – Morton – Honzek
Bahl – Parekh
Kuznetsov – Brzustewicz
Solovyov – Pachal
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.