The season ahead is a big one for Matthew Coronato.
A year ago, the forward arrived at Calgary Flames training camp looking to make an immediate impact in his first season as a pro and flashed the skill set that led to the team selecting him 13th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Coronato made the Flames out of camp, but found himself bouncing between the NHL club and their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, for most of the season.
At 21 years old and with that experience under the belt, he seems primed for a breakout season.
And there’s every chance that will happen, but there’s going to be a battle for playing time on the wing for the Flames.
With the arrival of Anthony Mantha in free agency and the Flames already employing Blake Coleman and Andrei Kuzmenko, the team’s got a decent stock of right-wingers. Coronato’s skill set isn’t particularly well-suited to a fourth-line role, so what does he have to do to get in the mix?
Speaking during the annual Calgary Italian Open at the Cottonwood Golf & Country Club south of the city, Coronato came across as relaxed as ever when he was asked the question.
“I think I just need to focus on being the best version of myself, playing with confidence and trusting what I can do,” Coronato said. “That’s really all I can do.”
In 34 games with the Flames last year, Coronato managed three goals and six assists while posting a minus-15.
His AHL numbers were considerably more impressive, as he scored 15 goals and added 27 assists in 41 games with the Wranglers, while also being a plus-six.
All of that was, again, in his first season as a pro, but his performances in the AHL do beg the question about how much good more time in that league will actually do? Would he not be best-served playing day in and day out with the Flames?
Coronato’s going to have to earn that opportunity, and he knows it.
The summer after a player’s first year as a pro is always an important one, as they can focus their off-season training on areas where they need to improve in order to adapt to the NHL game.
For Coronato, skating was a big part of that.
“Definitely, big focus for the summer,” Coronato said when asked about the work he’d done to improve his skating. “There’s still some time (before training camp), so definitely still continuing to do things here over the next couple weeks, but I feel good about it.
“I think workout-wise, I did things a little differently but nothing too crazy. But I felt good at the end of last summer, as well. My goal all summer was to come into camp in the best possible shape I could and I feel good about that.”
With camp only weeks away, Coronato is back in Calgary working and training with a small group of Flames teammates.
He knows it’s going to be an important camp for him. A year ago, he had seven points in six pre-season game and while that didn’t translate into a full season with the NHL club, a similar — or better — showing would definitely make it hard to leave him out of the lineup when the regular season gets underway.
“Going into my second year I feel a lot more comfortable having real relationships with guys and staff and just kind of knowing the way things go with a training camp,” Coronato said. “I feel good this time around, definitely, and I’ve got a couple more weeks to gear up and get ready for it.”