He wasn’t dressed in Flames red, but Coda Gordon was skating at the Calgary Flames prospects camp just the same.
The Cochrane product, who plays for the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos, was wearing black for the July 15 scrimmage on the Joan Snyder Arena ice at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary.
Wearing No. 62, he was in his usual forward position, flying up and down the right wing.
“It’s definitely a fast pace, for sure,” Gordon said of the action at Flames prospect camp, which ran July 10-16. “It’s been good this year. The talent is all good. And playing with guys like (Sven) Baertschi and stuff, it’s pretty cool to see where you’re at.”
Obviously, the Flames see Gordon’s skill as his main asset if they’re spotting the 2012 6th-round draft pick (165 overall) on a line with 2011 first-rounder Baertschi.
Gordon netted 17 goals and 42 assists this season with the Broncos after a 30-goal campaign in his rookie Western Hockey League (WHL) year.
“There’s definitely a step up (from the WHL),” Gordon observed of the intense pace at Flames camp. His black team lost the July 15 scrimmage 5-3 to the red team after Gordon scored a goal in a 4-1 win over the red team July 13. “You’re playing with guys who are going to be in the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League. It’s a quick pace, obviously.
“The guys are bigger, stronger and faster. It’s a pretty big adjustment to make.”
With camp winding up July 16, all 44 Flames prospects will be winging their way home to various addresses across the continent. Gordon, meanwhile, will make the 20-minute drive home to Cochrane. Living close by definitely has its advantages.
“It’s actually been awesome for me to keep in touch with these guys and train and figure out what I can do to make myself a better hockey player,” he related. “I’ve been working out with the Flames trainer the whole summer. It’s been good. It’s easy getting from my house and stuff. I’ll continue on working out with him throughout the summer.”
Along with the dry-land training and work in the gym, he’s also been working on his stride.
“We’ve been working with speed-skating guys and working on skating and stuff like that,” he said. “It’s gotten better. All this stuff has been focusing on getting better. There’s been some results. It’s still not where I’d like it to be, but I’m going to keep working on it.”
And it’s not over for the 18-year-old Edge School grad.
“It’s a long process,” he observed, saying he’ll be in Penticton, B.C., next month for the Flames rookie camp and prospects tournament.
All with an eye to making the team’s main camp after that.
