Rookie Watch: Jankowski finds niche with Flames

Center Mark Jankowski has learned plenty since being selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft.
He has a good idea today what he'd say to that young man from Stanstead College of the Quebec Prep League who went No. 21 in the draft six years ago.

"He'd say just work as hard as you can," Jankowski said. "There will be a lot of people who will say some (bad) things but don't listen to any of that. He'd tell him you know how good you can be and what you're capable of. Obviously, the Flames had some faith in you to draft you in the first round so just work as hard as you can every day because you know if you keep working, it'll come."
Jankowski's moment arrived this season with the Flames. He has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 50 games while averaging 13:40 of ice time. Calgary controls 50.17 percent of all shots attempted with Jankowski on the ice.

"I think when he went through his struggles here, he was standing up and just watching the game, and kind of waiting for something to happen," Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. "He's best when he's using that big frame and making things happen in the corners. For a big guy, Mark's good in tight spaces and he's good in the corners. That's where he needs to excel, get into the trenches a little bit."
Gulutzan gave Jankowski a wakeup call when he benched the rookie for the first time this season before
a 4-3 overtime win
against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 3.
"Obviously, you never want to sit or be out of the lineup," Jankowski said. "You want to be in there trying to help the team win. I feel like I can be a big asset to this team so taking a seat for that game is just a reminder that it's an everyday league. You can't take a game, shift or practice off, and have to bring it every day."
Jankowski (6-foot-4, 202 pounds), 23, remains the highest Canadian high school player selected in NHL draft history. Many draft pundits believed Calgary reached in selecting Jankowski that early in the first round, but the Flames managerial team did not.
"The most impressive thing was that he played the game the right way," said Flames director of amateur scouting Tod Button. "If the right play was a 10-foot pass to his wing, he would do it. He had the ability to do it all by himself at that level, so seeing that he made the right play at the right time was impressive. He was skilled and smart and the only thing we knew needed projection was the physical development and game experience at higher levels. That would take the most time."

Jankowski was No. 43 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, earning high grades in skating and hockey sense.
"He was a little bit unknown at the beginning of the year but his skill set was so evident even though he was probably the best player in that entire league (at Stanstead)," said David Gregory of NHL Central Scouting. "You just saw how quickly he read the play, how he handled and moved the puck with speed and always to the right spot. It didn't matter what the situation was, he was making good decisions and as he played in games that were higher level, you saw how quickly he adapted to the level he was at.
"He's done that throughout his whole career and was a dominant player at Providence College."
Jankowski had offers from Boston University, Cornell, Harvard, Maine and Penn State, but he had his sights set on playing for Providence coach Nate Leaman.
"It was during my four seasons at Providence where my defensive side of the game really improved," Jankowski said. "Playing under Nate Leaman really helped me in learning both sides of the puck, using my big body to protect pucks, and taking it to the net."
Jankowski had 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 148 NCAA games over four seasons. He scored a power-play goal in a 4-3 win against Boston University in the 2015 NCAA Division I men's national championship game and had 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 38 games as a senior the following season.
Jankowsi had 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in 64 games during his first full professional season with Stockton of the American Hockey League in 2016-17.
"Being in the minors helped because I got to play in all situations and the coach had a lot of trust in me, which helped my confidence and overall game," Jankowski said.