If they do happen to surprise, veterans on the team will have to lead the way. Captain Mikael Backlund believes the Flames have the right group to do that. "You know six of us that have been here the last few years and we're the oldest guys and captains on this year," he said.

The Calgary Flames opened their annual training camp on Thursday, giving fans a clearer idea of how this year’s lineup could look. With 64 participants in total, head coach Ryan Huska split the squad into three groups for the first on-ice session of the week.

Training camp officially kicked off on Thursday morning for the Calgary Flames. For the past couple of days, we’ve been asking one question about every player at Flames camp, with questions asked about the forwards in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Today, we’re finishing it off with the defencemen and goalies:

Expectations rightfully are low. Flames GM Craig Conroy spent most of his first year on the job dealing away veterans while getting draft picks and young players in return, so it’s going to be a few years before the team is competing for a playoff spot again.

The Calgary Flames have unveiled their training camp roster and plans for the event which starts tomorrow at Winsport and the Saddledome.