Calgary Flames 2008 Prospect Development Camp: (Chucko Focused)

Seems as if former Golden Gopher Chris Chucko made quite an impression during the flames prospect development camp. It is good to see Chucko doing well for himself.

Of all the players attending this year’s Prospect Development Camp, Dustin Boyd is the most likely to make the Calgary squad for any significant amount of time in 2008-09. Like everyone at camp, he had the occasional hiccough in practise, but all-in-all the 6’ - 190lber looked ready to go. Working with Group “A”, Boyd would often be paired with fellow talent Kris Chucko, and the two together showed the offensive flair and work ethic which caused them to be drafted in the first place.

Chucko stood out from the rest in numerous drills with an impressive scoring touch and excellent hand-eye co-ordination. He potted various “good” goals in one-on-one and two-on-one training, and generally worked well with team-mates in add-on scrimmages. Though the Burnaby, BC native has had offensive success in the past, it has not been his greatest strength in recent years. He nabbed 87 points in 53 games in the BCHL just before his 2004 NHL draft, but hasn’t broken the 30 point mark since. His dedication to his on-ice training at camp suggested Chucko is aiming to improve his game.

In one instance, the aggressive 6’2” winger spent a great deal of what seemed to be his own time working on his puck-tipping skills. Standing at the side of the net as another prospect ripped point-shots, Chucko looked calm yet focused as he made contact with a notable amount of rubber. The fact that he was practising with an empty net may make the feat may seem less inspiring, but it was a good challenge and absorbing to watch. Other skaters took turns giving it a try, yet none worked nearly as long or had a fraction of the success rate as the right-handed Chucko.
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