Curtis Lazar Autographed Card

After trading for him earlier this spring and protecting him in the expansion draft, the Calgary Flames followed the expected route with prospect Curtis Lazar by signing him to a two-year "show me" contract whose cap hit is just below the $1M mark.

For a while there, we were using his achievements in the minors as promises that he'd likely be able to produce at the NHL level as well (with feats such as breaking Steven Stamkos' and Sidney Crosby's Canada Winter Games points records, winning a 2012 Ivan Hlinka tournament gold medal with Team Canada and captaining the Canadian team to gold again at the 2015 World Juniors on home soil in Montréal and Toronto), but after the trade, he did accumulate three points (a goal and two assists) in four games with the Flames, as well as suit up for one game in the playoffs.

It can be hard for youngsters to come in and learn a new system and get acquainted to new teammates in just a few weeks and make their mark enough to dress over guys who've been there all year.

He'll be a regular next season, in a line-up that will include such high-profile young forwards as Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Spencer Foo, Micheal Ferland and Freddie Hamilton, as well as veterans Troy Brouwer, Matt Stajan and Kris Versteeg.

He'll be 24 by the time his contract expires, about to enter his prime, and considering he was drafted to be a cross between Milan Lucic and Mike Fisher by the Ottawa Senators (17th overall in 2013) following a fine WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, that could be a huge deal for the newly-rebuilt Flames.

Speaking of the Oil Kings, here is what their white uniform looks like, on card #92 from In The Game's 2011-12 Heroes And Prospects set and CHL Rookie sub-set:

He signed it in blue sharpie during the 2014-15 playoffs.

Curtis Lazar Autographed Card

To say this has been a trying year for Curtis Lazar would be selling it way short...

First, he battled mononucleosis in the summer, then he struggled to find his game, posting just a single assist in 33 games with the Ottawa Senators before they sent him packing to the Calgary Flames at the deadline.

Though he only stands at 6'0" and 210 pounds, he seems larger and plays bigger, which is why the Sens made him a first-round pick (17th overall in 2013) to begin with. That, and leadership skills that saw him lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup in 2014 and captain Team Canada to World Juniors gold in 2015.

I know, a single point in half a season is awful, pretty much a waste of a roster spot, I get it. But when a guy is unanimously called a cross between Milan Lucic and Mike Fisher, perhaps he's worth more than a defenseman who'd been on waivers the day prior (Jyrki Jokipakka) and a second-rounder, especially if AHLer Michael Kostka is following him to the Flames organization.

I usually tend to give power forwards until ages 24-26 to prove their worth, but in the age of UFAs and RFAs, I get that teams don't want to overpay for future potential nor use a roster spot to not lose someone on a technicality. Essentially, however, the current rules favor smallish, quick forwards, not the big boys (defensemen or forwards) or goalies, who usually tend to require further seasoning in the minors.

Here is Lazar sporting the Sens' red (home) uniform, on card #NHCD-10 from Upper Deck's 2015 National Hockey Card Day (Canadian Edition) set:

He signed it in blue sharpie in the 2014-15 playoffs, in which the Sens faced my hometown Montréal Canadiens.

Curtis Lazar Jersey Card

Well, Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators put up a great fight, but the Montréal Canadiens were luckier, had a few calls go their way, and proved to be a much deeper team on the whole, despite the fact that just one or two pucks lifted over a sprawling Carey Price (or on either of his top corners) could have made this series end in a 4-2 Sens win instead of the other way around.

Still, this young Senators team has gained valuable playoff experience, and they've shown a great never-say-die attitude in the face of constant fear of elimination, stemming from the beginning of the calendar year when they were as far as 14 points behind the final playoff position.

One of the kids who will likely grow into a larger role as the years pass, possibly to become the #2 center behind Kyle Turris, is Curtis Lazar, who won gold captaining Team Canada at the World Juniors during the Holidays, after winning the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings last year.

As a player, he's mature beyond his years, but he remains a 19-year-old, capable of some extreme cuteness, such as this drawing when Chris Phillips (whose house he's residing in during the regular season) was shut down for the remainder of the season last week:

Glad all went well with Papa's surgery, get well soon! @CPhillipsFour #Fridgematerial pic.twitter.com/Cgn1smdJOi
— Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95) April 21, 2015

 Here's a card I landed on last year, from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (card #TPM-16 of the Top Prospects Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black'' version), with a huge black and red swatch from the actual OHL/CHL/NHL Top Prospects game, where he is pictured wearing the white (Team Orr) uniform:

I look forward to seeing where his game will take him at the NHL level.

Curtis Lazar Jersey Card

Congratulations are in order for Curtis Lazar, who was named the captain of Team Canada ahead of the World Juniors which will start this weekend in Montréal and conclude in Toronto at the end of the Holidays. The young forward from British Columbia is on loan from the Ottawa Senators - the team that drafted him 17th overall in 2013 - after suiting up for them 27 times this year so far. The hope is that he plays a central role in redeeming last year's 4th-place finish on home ice and can return to the team fully energized and ready to take on more responsibility at the NHL level as the Sens make a push towards a playoff spot.

He's broken records belonging to Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby at the Midget level, and from the moment he stepped into the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, he has been on a steady stream of improvement, netting 31 points in 63 regular-season points in his rookie season followed by an impressive 19 in 20 games in the playoffs, and accumulating 38 goals and 61 points in 72 games in his sophomore year, saving his best for last, 41 goals and 76 points in just 58 regular-season games last year, plus 10-12-22 in 20 games to lead the Oil Kings to the Memorial Cup last year.

He's been compared to Milan Lucic a lot because he's built tough (210 pounds on his 6'0'' frame at just 19 years old), but as a right-handed center who likes to play in traffic and can also pass, I'd compare him to Ryan Getzlaf.

Here he is sporting the Oil Kings' red uniform, from In The Game's 2013-14 Heroes And Prospects set (card #M-05 of the Game-Used Jersey sub-set, the ''Black'' version), with a huge matching swatch that take sup most of the card:

Cool card depicting a player who'll help the Sens for a long time; he and Kyle Turris will make a nice one-two punch at center ice that will match up with some of the best teams within three years.