The call-up is most definitely deserved.
The Calgary native has been torching the AHL this season, leading the league with 15 goals and 30 points through 20 games. He's been a key part of the Wranglers success, with the team sitting second in the Pacific Division with a 13-6-1 record.
"We've had a great start to the season," Phillips said. "Our coaching staff has done a heck of a job preparing us for our games, preparing us to get to the next level. We've had contributions up and down this lineup and it's been a lot of fun."
The 24-year-old has been building towards this opportunity since turning pro, piling up 82 goals and 191 points in 219 career games.
"He deserves the opportunity to get called up," Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said. "He's an awesome kid and he's got an awesome skill set. He's a really good competitor."
Phillips skated on the right wing alongside veterans Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis during the Flames morning skate at Nationwide Arena. While he'll need to adjust to a new style of play and new linemates, his mentality heading into his second NHL game is one of simplicity.
"I think wherever I'm slotted, my game doesn't change all that much," he explained. "I think it's obviously important to be on the right side of the puck, keep pucks in zone, keep the puck moving north. Overall, I don't want to change my game too much no matter where I'm playing.
"You try not to put too much pressure (on yourself), try not to overthink it. Any opportunity you get in the NHL, you want to make the most of it obviously."
With Calgary facing Columbus for the first time since Johnny Gaudreau signed with the Blue Jackets as a free agent, Phillips will be taking on a player he grew up admiring as a Flames fan and then as a teammate in training camps.
"He's an incredible player, a guy I admired before I got drafted by the Flames. I always watch him, he's done some incredible things in the league, so it's pretty cool," Phillips said of the match-up.
"One thing I like about his game is his patience with the puck. I think he has poise and patiences - waits for passing lanes to open up - and he's always moving his feet. Those are a couple of things I try to take from him."
The respect goes both ways.
"I remember seeing him at camp all the time. He's a great kid, a really smart and talented player," Gaudreau said this morning. "I hear he's having a good year in the American League so to be called up, I'm sure he's excited. I wish him the best because he's a great kid and I loved coming to training camp with him."
The Flames and Blue Jackets square off at 5 p.m. MT with Sportsnet West carrying the broadcast.
