Mikael Backlund was just a kid suiting up for his first NHL game when Michael Cammalleri last played with him.

But Backlund has come a long way since the 2008-09 season, when the talented Swede first ventured into North American hockey.

"He was just starting. He was just a prospect — you know, just finding his way," Cammalleri said Wednesday of the former first-round Calgary Flames selection. "He's developed, for sure.

"Just looking at him, he's stronger and bigger and filled out and developed."