Flames recall former first-round pick

With Martin Pospisil’s injury, the Flames were expected to bring someone up to take his place before Saturday's game against Edmonton. That move has now been made as the team announced that winger Matt Coronato has been recalled from AHL Calgary.

The 21-year-old was the 13th overall pick by Calgary back in 2021 and he has been viewed as a key part of their future core since then. He turned pro after two strong years offensively at Harvard where he averaged more than a point per game and this is his first full campaign in the pros.

Coronato broke camp with the Flames in training camp but the offensive success wasn’t there as he managed just one goal and one assist in his first 10 games of the season.  

Calgary then decided to send him to the Wranglers for more playing time and he has been there since then, save for a brief one-game recall last month. 

The move made a lot of sense as it allowed Coronato to play a much bigger role, one that he has been accustomed to throughout his career at the lower levels. He found his offensive touch in the AHL, notching 12 goals and 17 assists in 27 games at that level, earning himself an All-Star nod for his efforts.

It will be interesting to see how high the Flames will deploy Coronato in their lineup. Will they try to limit his minutes like they did in his first stint where he came in just under 14 minutes a night or will they put him in a scoring role to see if he can contain his hot stretch offensively?  

If it’s the latter, he might have more success than he did at the beginning of the season.