Great article from the Calgary Herald on Sven Baertschi the Flames first pick in this years Draft!!!!
BY VICKI HALL, CALGARY HERALD JULY 6, 2011
Sven Baertschi is beginning to believe in the mysterious power of coincidences.
"At the start of the season, my roommate was Spencer Bennett, and he was drafted to Calgary here," the newly-signed 18-year-old said Tuesday at Calgary Flames prospects camp "The first day, I ask him if he's got a shirt I can sleep in.
"He gave me a Calgary Flames shirt. I slept the whole season in that shirt, then to get drafted by Calgary, and now the world championship is in Calgary, so that's . . . ."
Karma?
"Karma, yeah."
The karma tripled Tuesday with the announcement Baertschi's native Switzerland is part of Pool A at the world junior hockey championships.
Pool A will play the round-robin in Calgary, so Flames fans can keep close tabs on the future Flame.
Pool B -a group that includes Canada and the United States -is assigned to Edmonton.
All medal-round games are slated for Calgary.
Are the world juniors a big deal for a kid from Switzerland?
"That's for sure," said Baertschi, Calgary's first-round selection (11th overall) at the 2011 entry draft. It's going to be fun.
"It's special."
Will he serve as captain of the Swiss?
"I'm not sure," he said. "You never know."
The round-robin portion of the tournament opens Dec. 26 and runs through Dec. 31. The medal round is slated for Jan. 2 to Jan. 5 at the Saddledome.
Group A, playing in Calgary, is composed of the defending gold medallists Russia, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden and Baertschi's Switzerland. Group B, playing in Edmonton, includes Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and the United States.
Markus Granlund, drafted 45th overall by the Flames, is expected to suit up for his native Finland. Team Canada has invited Patrick Holland to the summer development camp next month in Edmonton.
"I'm not getting too far ahead of myself," said Holland, a seventh round (193rd overall) selection of the Flames in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
"I'm sure if there's a ghost roster right now, I wouldn't be on anybody's list.
"I'm just going to go there, do the best I can, and do the best I can do. It would be super exciting Anything to put a Team Canada sweater on. That would be awesome."
vhall@calgaryherald.com
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Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Baertschi+Calgary+connection+grows/5056270/story.html#ixzz1RPMhYQQe
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