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Pre-Season Gameday

September 20, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Abbotsford Heat News Release


Calgary, AB - The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks have a pair of games happening in two provinces tonight as each team will host a split squad game on their home ice. Both franchises have left a more veteran line-up at home, while they've sent younger players to hostile territory.

BYRON TO MAKE FLAMES DEBUT

Arriving in Western Canada as a result of the Robyn Regehr trade this summer, Paul Byron is one of seven players making their Flames debuts tonight in Calgary.

The 5'9" forward put up 53 points in 67 games last season with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, and spoke about the change of scenery after the first trade of his career. "It's been great so far," points out Byron "It was a big change for me and I was a bit nervous coming out to Calgary, but the organization has been great to me, they've really helped me out and made me feel part of the organization and the team, and they have a great group of players here. It feels really good to be in this locker room right now."

NEMISZ EXCITED TO PLAY IN CALGARY

One year into his pro career, Greg Nemisz feels closer than ever to the NHL. The Courtice, ON product was drafted by the Flames in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut last season suiting up in six contests down the stretch with the Flames. "I'm definitely more physically ready. It's a big jump and you just have play your best and really make it tough on them," said Nemisz, on trying to stick with the big club.

The Calgary / Vancouver rivalry is one that Nemisz is excited to get involved in, and he points out he's felt the heat from the rivalry even in the AHL. "It's always big when you play Vancouver. In the AHL I got to experience it a little bit with the Moose, and those are always really heated games, so yeah, it's not hard to get up for."

GAME DETAILS

The Flames will host the Canucks at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary at 6:00 PST, while the Canucks will drop the puck at Rogers Arena in Vancouver an hour later, at 7:00 PST. The contest in Vancouver can be seen on Sportsnet West and Pacific, while the match in Calgary can be viewed from the team's websites: Canucks.NHL.com & Flames.NHL.com.



American Hockey League Stories from September 20, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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