Defence is Heating Up

The expansion Abbotsford Heat boasts considerable depth on defence. Matt Pelech, John Negrin, Keith Aulie and Keith Seabrook have all seen a spike in their icetime this season, as the Heat have one of the youngest defensive corps in the AHL. Second year goaltender Leland Irving is honing his skills and appears on the cusp of making the NHL. First year centre Mikael Backlund has been a streaky scorer and time may be running out for former first round selection Kris Chucko.

McKeen`s Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles several Abbotsford Heat including Leland Irving, Keith Seabrook, John Negrin, Keith Aulie, Matt Pelech, Kris Chucko and Mikael Backlund.

Leland Irving (Cgy), G, Abbotsford

Irving has assumed the starting duties, as he has moved ahead of Matt Keetley .. the inexperience in front of Irving has resulted in him seeing much more rubber but thus far, he has embraced the workload .. Irving's biggest problem at this stage is his overall consistency and mental makeup .. he appears to not be able to let goals go and can allow several goals in a short period of time .. his overall mechanics are unflappable .. his butterfly is very polished and he has quick lateral movement .. eagerly comes out to challenge .. stays up on shots, as he has good patience .. good concentration of pucks in traffic, as he is able to track them down .. very flexible and athletic .. rebound control is also very tight .. not the best stickhandler and appears to be very tentative to go outside of his crease to play it .. Irving has all the tools but needs to sharpen his mental focus.

Keith Seabrook (Cgy), D, Abbotsford

The Flames acquired Seabrook in the off-season from the Washington Capitals for future considerations .. a former second round pick in 2006, Seabrook enjoyed a fine junior career playing in three different leagues including the BCHL, WCHA and finally concluding in the WHL where he scored 15 goals in his final season in junior as a member of the Calgary Hitmen .. modestly put together, (6-0, 185) Seabrook is known more for his offensive acumen than anything else .. without the puck, Seabrook struggles considerably .. his defensive awareness is simply not there and he lacks the strength to contain players .. his skating is not spectacular but it is ok .. he does not win many foot races but is good in a reverse movement and can generally keep up .. he must constantly move his feet, as he tends to gamble too much offensively and gets beaten on the rush .. can get emotional and exhibits poor body language on the ice .. considering it is his first year of pro hockey he has performed well offensively, learning his positioning on the ice in defensive situations will take time and he has plenty of it.

John Negrin (Cgy), D, Abbotsford

Negrin is adjusting to the pro game rather nicely, as he plays an error-free game .. not flashy, Negrin is probably at his best when you do not notice him .. blessed with NHL size at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he uses it effectively in defensive situations, pinning his man along the boards long enough for help to arrive to halt an offensive rush .. at times, he can get caught chasing guys in the defensive zone and has to be reeled in by the coaching staff .. he did make adjustments throughout the game showing his ability to learn .. a coachable player who is best when suited with more of an offensive-minded defender .. has played a bulk of the season with Seabrook .. very economical with the puck .. his first pass out of the zone is good .. he either goes up the middle, or uses the boards to complete a pass .. he even sees time on the PP due to his puck-distribution skills .. not much of a shot and appears very tentative to use it .. Negrin is a healthy skater but not a strong one .. his size helps him swallow up ice but his overall agility is simply not there .. he could make a very good option on an injury call-up basis and will most likely be pencilled in as a 6th or 7th defenseman for the Flames at some point, as he does not hurt you but he also does not bring much to the table either.

Keith Aulie (Cgy), D, Abbotsford

The youngest blueliner on the club, he is also the biggest at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds .. a gold medal winner at the WJC, Aulie managed to improve on his point totals with the Brandon Wheat Kings in four straight seasons .. Aulie is still learning on the job and as is common with most players his size, he will need ample time to mature .. he is a huge body and extremely difficult to manoeuvre around .. he does have excellent range, employing his stick and body to get in the way .. his feet need work and his skating could use an upgrade in the overall speed department .. he moves well in straight lines but his lateral agility appears to be very awkward .. he lacks explosiveness in his stride and relies heavily on his size to close the gap .. his puck skills need some work as well .. he had a hard time settling down loose pucks down low and as such, was privy to many hits .. he could not settle down passes from his defence partner either, as they bounced off his blade resulting in the puck not leaving the zone .. will come to the aid of his teammates and fight but he is not a very good fighter .. for all his shortcomings, one cannot ignore the fact that he does boast terrific size and the only thing keeping Aulie from improving is experience, which he will get plenty of this season.

Matt Pelech (Cgy), D, Abbotsford

Pelech continues to develop in the Calgary system after being a first round selection way back in 2005 .. Pelech looks like a player with his crisp stride, outstanding mobility and acceleration, yet there is a component to his game that is lacking - his hockey sense .. Pelech tends to want to do too much or some shifts too little and it has had an adverse effect on his development .. he will completely ignore his man in front and at times, he simply does not close the gap quickly enough, which is inexcusable at this level considering the vast experience he has at the pro level .. recipient of many poor penalties, they are usually of the lazy variety .. his puck skills and offensive game have also yet to progress .. Pelech has toiled in the minors for three seasons but has seen a handful of games in the NHL (five), however at this point it is difficult to determine what he will be at the NHL level and with so many defenseman prospects in the wings, it is clear Flames' management is not resting their laurels on just him.

Kris Chucko (Cgy), RW, Abbotsford

The Flames farm system has relocated three times in the past four years and Chucko has joined them every step of the way .. the former first round selection plays on the top-two lines and is performing on pace to his last year totals where he notched 51 points in 74 games .. Chucko has improved his skating, as it appears a tad more polished and not as jerky as year's past .. was tentative and unsure in the offensive zone, as his decision-making left very little to be desired .. showed more of an understanding to the game in the defensive zone, as he made subtle, yet healthy contributions away from the puck .. came back and picked up his man and readily supported the defence by giving them outlets .. is using his body better in tight situations, as he is not getting knocked off the puck like he had been in the past .. time may be running out on Chucko, as his role has yet to be determined at the NHL level.

Mikael Backlund (Cgy), RW, Abbotsford

A streaky scorer, Backlund has adjusted to the pro game but it is evident his lack of strength is still his biggest setback .. Backlund comes from winning programs, as he won consecutive silver medals at the WJC and then helped Kelowna advance to the Memorial Cup finals - averaging more than a point a game in the regular and playoff season .. fluid skater, with excellent acceleration and smooth lateral agility .. he is already playing on the PK due to his smarts and speed .. Backlund needs to get into a game early with a strong play of the puck so he feels involved .. there are games where he rarely touches the puck, as he is just a step behind at this point in terms of game reading .. has the tools to be an effective top-six player for the Flames in a few seasons.