Flames Notebook: Lomberg ready to excel on highly physical line

CALGARY – The Flames’ three biggest wrecking balls all on the same line?

Bring it, says Ryan Lomberg of a trio that had the internet abuzz on opening day. 

“Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I got equally as excited, if not more, when I saw it up in the room,” said Lomberg of his first day linemates, Adam Klapka and Martin Pospisil.

“They’re both tremendous players and obviously like to play physically too, so we can get up to a lot of trouble, that line, I would imagine.”

Lomberg brings more energy than Enmax, Klapka throws his 6-foot-8 frame around like an airline baggage handler, and Pospisil is more disruptive than late night poutine.

While it may be a tad early to start naming the Legion of Boom (sorry, couldn’t resist), Day 1 skates open windows to the mind of coaches who spend all summer writing trios on cocktail napkins.

Thursday’s trio of Saddledome practices shed light on a few things Ryan Huska has in mind in terms of how he sees an almost identical lineup to last season shaping up.

The Lines
Huberdeau – Kadri – Coronato 
Zary – Backlund – Coleman 
Farabee – Frost – Sharangovich
Lomberg – Pospisil – Klapka
Bahl – Andersson
Hanley – Weegar
Bean – Parekh
Wolf 
Cooley

The plum assignment goes to Matt Coronato on the top line, which Huska said was an easy starting point.

“Matt’s our pure goal scorer,” said Huska of the 24-year-old whose 24 goals in his first full year in the NHL was followed by a seven-year, $45.5 million contract this summer.

“So, you put your pure goal scorer with one of your main passers and your top centre to start with.”

Efforts to give Connor Zary every chance to succeed following an injury-riddled season landed him back alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, who always manage to turn their third wheel into a success story.

Huska explained he wanted to keep the top two defensive pairings intact from last year, and gave Zayne Parekh a spot on the right side of Jake Bean.

“Focus on making the team,” was Huska’s advice to the 19-year-old first rounder whose chase for an NHL starting gig will be the focal point of camp.

“I don’t think Zayne should feel any undue pressure on having to be the saviour coming in and all of a sudden changing our team. Zayne is a really good hockey player and we’re so excited about this guy’s future. It’s our job as a coaching staff to help him along the way.”

Parekh missed prospects camp due to a lower body injury he says is about 90 per cent healed, and said he’d be clear to play Sunday against Edmonton.

“There’s a lot expected of me,” said Parekh, coming off back-to-back 30-goal seasons in the OHL.

“Maybe I was more comfortable last year because the expectation was to probably end up going back to junior, and I kind of knew I was just soaking it in. I really don’t want to go back to junior this year so there’s a lot of pressure.”

Parekh is too young to play in the AHL, and is all but certain to stay with the big club unless he has a camp as pedestrian as last year.

Of course, none of these lines factor in the possibility of a Matvei Gridin, Aydar Suniev or Sam Honzek surge in camp that earns them an opening night look.  

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The most noticeable thing about Thursday’s opening skates was the pace in which they were conducted. Fitting for a team that got within one point of a playoff berth based on work ethic. 

“Roll up your sleeves and get up and down the ice,” smiled Kadri, whose club is well aware its opening schedule is filled with juggernauts.

“I think your mentality should be that the season is starting today and by the time you get to the opener you’re going to be in that competitive mindset two or three weeks already.”

The beads of sweat still rolling down MacKenzie Weegar’s forehead well after practice said plenty about the pace.  

“Absolutely – it started today,” he said.

“(The coach) is showing us this is going to be a tough schedule to start the season and it’s going to be fast and teams won’t take us lightly as opposed to last year. This year it’s going to be harder and that’s why practices are tougher.”

Huska said his message is clear.

“We did a lot of great things last year but I don’t want them coming in this year and thinking it’s just automatically the same – it doesn’t work that way,” said Huska, whose club was kept almost entirely intact after a 96-point season saw them finish 11-2-3.

“I just want them to turn the page and chart a new course that’s going to get us to where we want to be this year. We’re not getting a team’s night off this year, so we have to find a way to get to another level.”

As an Olympic hopeful, Weegar admitted he’ll be extra motivated to start the season, as will Kadri who voiced frustration over the summer that he wasn’t included in the short list of 42 players invited to last month’s orientation camp.

“Hell ya, I’d love to be a part of that team, obviously,” said Kadri, who had a career-high 35 goals last year. 

“I’m sure a lot of guys would. Fact of the matter is Canada’s got a lot of good hockey players and just to be considered is a privilege.”

Kadri confirmed he was recently contacted and told he was one of the 50 additional players being watched by Canadian team coaches.

“Yeah, the long list – not sure what that means,” he smiled.

“I guess I’ve got a chance, and that’s all you want.”

Backlund boosts the bunch

Training camp got a jolt Wednesday night when Backlund’s two-year extension was announced, adding to the long-list of positive, off-season developments surrounding the team.

“Huge, I love Backs – I think everybody in this city loves Backs,” said Weegar of the popular captain.

“He’s a great leader, great teammate, great friend, great father, everything – he’s almost the perfect human being, that guy. That’s huge for the city. I’m so happy he’s going to be able to open up the new arena and be around for some playoff pushes. That’s a big moral boost.

“It maybe shows everybody around the league that this is a great place to play. He’s been here for a long time and he wants to stay here.”