Friday, October 16, 2015

Derek Grant Autograph Card

It's time to check #57 off my list for my Sens Numbers Project with young prospect Derek Grant, the Ottawa Senators' fourth-round pick (119th overall) in 2008.

In 25 games spread over five seasons in the Sens organization, he merely posted 2 assists and 4 penalty minutes, but was mostly used in a limited role, playing an average of 9:23 per game, mostly under coaches who were trying to save their own asses and thus relied on veteran players almost exclusively. The Calgary Flames signed him as a free agent over the summer, and GM Brad Treliving had this to say about him:
He’s a big body. He plays a real NHL-, pro-style game. He’s versatile - plays the wing, can play centre. Smart. Intelligent. He’s coming here, and he’s going to battle for an opportunity. I think he gives us more depth, which you can never have enough of.
When we do our organizational assessments of each team, this is a player our scouts wanted to acquire for a long time. So to be able to get him (Wednesday), it was a happy group.
To make room for him, the Flames parted way with such prospects as second-round pick Sam Reinhart and first-rounder Sven Baertschi. Granted, they had been drafted under a previous regime, but they were nonetheless considered the cornerstones of the team's future at that point, perhaps their lone bright spots.

This season, Grant has started the season in the AHL, playing with the Flames' new affiliate Stockton Heat; he currently has scored 3 goals in his first 2 games.

Here he is wearing the Sens' red (home) uniform, from Panini's 2013-14 Titanium set (on card #TR-DGR of the Titanium Reserve and Dual Rookie Class sub-sets):
It features a blue-sharpied sticker autograph.

No comments:

Post a Comment