Matt Veto, mveto@qconline.com

One way to make an impression on a coach is to slap home the first goal of the season.

And making impressions is important for Mike Hamilton, whose pro-tryout agreement with the Quad City Flames comes attached with guaranteed scrutiny.

Afterall, he's been invited specifically to see what he's got.

“Obviously, with the experience that he gained in Chicago last year, that's a big factor,” said Flames coach Ryan McGill of the forward. “He's a smooth player. That's good. He's a confident guy with the puck and hopefully he can continue to make a good impression.”

Hamilton's big break in 2007-08 came at the end of the season. After toiling in 72 games with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL -- including contests for the ECHL's Kelly Cup -- he was called on by the Chicago Wolves for another playoff tour of duty.

Hamilton said the pace quickened at the AHL level. The passes were crisper, the skating was faster and the players were bigger.

“It's a bit of a step, but it didn't take much of an adjustment period,” Hamilton said.

His AHL mark was made in the 10th minute of the third period of the third Wolves Calder Cup contest with Wilkes-Barre Scranton. It was then that the 25-year-old University of Maine product put his first puck in the back of the net on AHL ice -- a goal he said he'll remember forever.

But the overall experience of being in the AHL at the end of his one-year, two-way contract with the Wolves set the tone for his tryout in the QC.

“It helped me play at the next level, and get that pace, especially in the playoffs,” Hamilton said. “It definitely benefited me.”

Including Thursday's QC exhibition with Peoria, Hamilton has skated in seven AHL contests and has scored twice.

“I've got to try to turn some heads and just do what I do, and play the way I can play, and hopefully make some decisions tough for the coaching staff,” Hamilton said.

He's not the only free-agent trying to make Calgary and the QC club look twice. Forwards Troy Ofukany, Jeff Pierce and Justin Bowers are also playing on try-out agreements. The same goes for Brandon Straub on defense and Ryan Dutton in the net.

Dutton was the only of the seven try-out signees that did not dress Thursday.

“The free agent guys, to a man, I thought, had some good spots in the game (Thursday),” McGill said. “There are some good signs from some of those guys.”

And how does Hamilton plan to make that sign point to him?

“Every time you go out there, you always try to be the best player on the ice,” he said. “You just go from there and see what you can do. There's no way you can control it.”

-- Tonight: The Flames host the Iowa Chops at the i wireless Center for a 7 p.m. preseason exhibition. The game can be heard live on WYEC 93.9 FM. Aaron Roof will have the call. The broadcast begins at 6:40 p.m. and can also be heard on qcflames.com.

-- Up next: The Flames head on the road to face the Chops at 5:05 p.m. Sunday at Buccaneer Arena in Urbandale, Iowa for their final exhibition of the season. The Flames open the regular season in Rockford on Friday at 7:30 p.m.