By Aaron Vickers / NHL.com Correspondent–
CALGARY — Spencer Foo took plenty of time before deciding to sign a two-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames on July 1.
The 23-year-old forward prospect needed it.
Foo had plenty of suitors once he became an unrestricted free agent after opting to turn pro following three seasons at Union College.
“To get to this point, I’ve had to make a lot of decisions,” he said earlier this month at Flames development camp. “I’ve kind of learned that it doesn’t matter what other people do, I have to make the best decision for me. That’s what it came down to. It seemed like the smartest move. Coming in with the [NHL] Expansion Draft, there’s so many different things going on in the League and players are moving around everywhere. I knew coming in that I wanted to finish [my junior] year of school too. That impacted it too.
“It just came together, just waiting. I know a lot of people think I dragged it out a little bit, but I was just looking to give myself the best opportunity coming in.”
Foo, a 2017 Hobey Baker Award finalist as the top player in United States college hockey after he had 62 points (26 goals, 36 assists) as a junior, reportedly considered the Flames, his hometown Edmonton Oilers, the Detroit Red Wings and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights his four finalists. He chose Calgary after having attended Flames development camp last summer as a free agent invite.
“I think the biggest thing it came down to was where I felt wanted the most and where I felt I could really fit in with the organization,” Foo said. “Coming to camp here last year, that definitely helps too. I was able to see the type of people that are here and just everything from top to bottom. It was a top-notch organization. That’s really what it came down to.
“I’ve been talking to Calgary since freshman year. They’ve always had that interest. I’ve come in and loved everybody that I’ve met here. It’s definitely a factor and just the fact that there’s so many good people. I think that’s a big thing that helped make my decision.
“When it comes down to it, the NHL’s a business. It might be your favorite team growing up, but they don’t see you as that. You’re just another player for them. You really have to go where you’re wanted the most and where you think you’re going to have success.”
The Flames anticipate that success Foo is craving to come sooner than later.
“My expectation for him is to push and make the NHL club,” Calgary assistant general manager Craig Conroy said. “He’s got speed, he’s competitive, and he’s got skill. The thing I like probably the most about Spencer is about how hard he competes. Does he start in the NHL? That’ll be up to him.
“But I see him playing in the NHL next year. I expect that, and he probably expects that himself too.”
Foo’s push will come in his first rookie camp with Calgary in September.
From there, he’ll be given the chance to catch on with the Flames looking to bolster their depth on the right wing.
“He’s got two months or so to push like a son of a gun to make sure he’s ready,” Flames GM Brad Treliving said. “A lot of these kids … [development camp] is a step up for a lot of them. The ones that come back in September … the big boys will be here. It’s a different group on the ice come September. You’ve got to be ready for that physically. I think he will be. And then we’ll just go from there.
“Like Matthew Tkachuk … his expectation was finding the level of rookie camp and find the level of the next challenge. That’s the expectation. The expectation is not to come and be a savior. It’s to grind and compete and try to find a spot.”
Foo said he is ready for the challenge. He hopes to force the Flames into a tough decision of their own.
“I feel close … as close as I ever have,” he said. “It’s been a pretty cool year for me where you have all that interest. At the end of the day, it comes down to myself and my own performance. I’m just going to do whatever I can to be as good a player coming into camp as I can.”
(Reprinted with permission of NHL.com) (NHL.com photo)
