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Flames rookie review 2003-04
Written by: Aaron Vickers on 04/11/2004 
Among those that bought into the system were Calgary's four rookies, Matthew Lombardi, Lynn Loyns, Danny Sabourin, and former first round selection Chuck Kobasew. While all four players skated in different roles with the club, contributions from the four certainly helped the Flames acheive their goal of a post season berth in the 2003-04 playoffs. Here is a review of their performance this season.
| Pos. |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
Pts/GP |
+/- |
PIM |
ATOI |
Shots |
|
| Matthew Lombardi |
C |
79 |
16 |
13 |
29 |
.37 |
+4 |
32 |
14:25 |
130 |
| Chuck Kobasew |
RW |
70 |
6 |
11 |
17 |
.24 |
-12 |
51 |
10:22 |
78 |
| Lynn Loyns |
C |
14 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
.14 |
-3 |
2 |
10:41 |
6 |
| GP |
Min |
W |
L |
T |
SO |
GAA |
SV% |
|
| Danny Sabourin |
4 |
168:42 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3.55 |
.848 |
Matthew Lombardi (C) - Selected in the third round, 90th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
After spending the entire 2002-03 season with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League, Matthew Lombardi was able to crack a relatively thin Calgary Flames roster. Being a center, Lombardi was given every opportunity to crack the roster in a fourth line role. The 5'11, 191 lb Lombardi seized the opportunity, and was on the Flames roster to start off the 2003-04 season.
It wasn't until second line center Steven Reinprecht went down with a shoulder injury that Lombardi realized the opportunity he was given. Tossed into the second line center position by head coach Darryl Sutter, Lombardi flourished, showing he could provide the club with some offensive depth, should they ever need to rely on the 22-year-old for finesse and flair.
Described as having great vision, stellar stick handling abilities and a good shot, this QMJHL graduate has always had a few knocks on him, one of the reasons that he and the Edmonton Oilers, who had originally drafted him in the seventh round in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, could not come to terms on a contract, allowing Lombardi to re-enter the draft and subsequently be selected by the Calgary Flames.
At times, Lombardi has looked lost in the defensive zone, something that Coach Sutter has worked on with him. All traces of an apparent attitude problem appear to be gone as well, another victory for Sutter. The final knock on Lombardi, his size, didn't seem to hold true in a season that saw him register 16 goals and nearly 30 points in his rookie season.
The Montreal, Quebec native finished the season tops in rookie scoring on the Calgary Flames, ahead of 2001 first round selection Chuck Kobasew. All in all, Lombardi finished seventh in team scoring and 11th in the league scoring among rookies, certainly a year to reflect upon for Matthew, who will have no time to do that just yet, as he focuses on helping the Calgary Flames in their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.
Chuck Kobasew (RW) - Selected in the first round, 14th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
Again, problems with forward depth on the Calgary Flames coupled with the high profile of the 2001 first round selection allowed Chuck Kobasew the opportunity to play with the Calgary Flames for a full 2003-04 season after a split 2002-03 campaign with the AHL's Saint John Flames and the Calgary Flames.
Last season, Kobasew saw 23 games with the flaming 'C' on his chest, registering four goals and six points through that span. This season, coming into training camp, Kobasew noticed a Flames squad thin on right wing, with very little in the way of offensive talent after team captain and 2003-04 Maurice Richard winner Jarome Iginla.
Although many expected the 6'1", 190 lb to produce at a much greater pace, Kobasew struggled with consistency offensively, registering a mere 6 goals in a span of 70 games, a far cry from his days with the Kelowna Rockets which saw him register 41 goals in 55 games during the 2001-02 Western Hockey League campaign. Kobasew, who turns 22 on April 17th, saw time up and down the lineup, playing on each of the clubs four lines.
An alumni of the Canadian World Junior club program, Kobasew showed glimpses of his potential upside, an upside that has Flames fans drooling. Much like Lombardi, however, Kobasew has some demons to overcome before he will be considered a regular contributor on the Calgary squad. At times this season, Kobasew has looked lost on the ice, in particular in the defensive end, and finished an unimpressive -12 on the season, good enough for dead last on the club.
Lynn Loyns (C) - Acquired via a trade from the San Jose Sharks for Future Considerations on January 9th, 2004
Darryl Sutter, familiar with the Lynn from his time with the San Jose organization, acquired Loyns in a trade in early January, a deal that saw the Flames give up future considerations. A deal that was nothing more then an afterthought, Loyns, 5'11" and 205 lbs, was inserted into the Flames line-up after a string of injuries plagued the forward core of Calgary.
Dressing for 14 games for the Flames, the most memorable moment with Loyns on the ice may have come with a fan holding up a sign, proudly displaying 'My Loyns Are On Fire!'
Unspectacularly consistent, Loyns plugged the fourth line center position with a steady defensive forward who could manage some penalty killing time. A former member of the Spokane Chiefs, Loyns added a dimension of speed and energy to the Flames, something that fit right in with Sutter's style. At 23 years of age, Loyns isn't expected to develop into an offensive dynamo, however, is expected to become a good checking line forward for the Calgary Flames.
Danny Sabourin (G) - Selected in the fourth round, 108th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
Goaltender Danny Sabourin got a taste, albeit a small taste, of the National Hockey League life in 2003-04 after starting goaltender Roman Turek went down with a significant injury which kept him out for the better part of the first half of the season. With Jamie McLennan starting for the Flames, Danny Sabourin was relied upon to act as the backup goaltender on the Flames, before Head Coach and General Manager Darryl Sutter exchanged a second round selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft for Mikka Kiprusoff.
Sabourin, seen as a stop-gap until the trade was completed, played in nearly three full games with the Flames, before being re-assigned to the American Hockey Leauge. The native of Val d'Or, Quebec has seen time at three levels of North American professional hockey, dressing in four games for the Calgary Flames, but also in ten games with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and 14 games with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League.
Sabourin, 23, may soon see some competition come his way, in terms of future competition in the Calgary Flames net. With goaltenders Brent Krahn and Andrei Medvedev ahead of him on the depth charts, Sabourin will need to see rapid improvement in his game in order to compete regularly for an NHL job.
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