He’s played only four games in the NHL but minute by minute, Jonathan Castagna is gaining valuable experience.
And with each passing day, he’s earning the chance to have a bigger role with a Flames team ready to kick off a four-game homestand Sunday against the Hurricanes. GET TICKETS
If he’s been fazed at all by the NHL spotlight, the Cornell product hasn’t outwardly displayed it. And Thursday night in Vegas, the 21-year-old once again found himself picking up spot duty on the Calgary penalty-kill, a role he’s hoping will increase over time.
“It’s a great honour,” Castagna said during a chat Saturday inside the Flames dressing room. “I know I'm very early in my career, and to have a coach trust me on the PK right now, it really means a lot.
“I think it's a testament to maybe I'm doing some things right, playing good defensively, and I'm gonna keep trying to take hold of that opportunity, and see if I can get on my way to becoming a full-time penalty killer.”
He’s on the right track.
Castagna is just a few months removed from being named the ECAC’s best defensive forward, and through four NHL appearances, he’s dead even in the face-off dot.
More importantly, for Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska, the Ontario product has shown from Day 1 that he’s willing to put in the time to grow his game.
“He is a hard working young man. He's doing a good job in the face-off circle, and I think he's a difficult guy to play against,” commented Huska Sunday morning. “I think he was taught well at school, and he has good checking instincts.
“I think the more time he gets there, the better he's going to be for us in that situation as well.”
Thursday night in Las Vegas, two bright red Castagna No. 38 sweaters stood out among the T-Mobile Arena crowd. Those jerseys belonged to his parents, Al and Joyce, who were in town last week for their son’s NHL debut, and made the trip to Nevada to take in his latest outing, too.
“They've been incredible. I’m extremely grateful to have them as parents, because they show all the time how much they care about me, and that's just one example of it,” Castagna said. “It’s also very nice to play in front of them, because it makes you feel a little bit more comfortable in front of familiar eyes.
“You want to play well for them, because they're kind of the reason that I'm here right now, so, it's really nice to have them there.”
Sunday, back at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Castagna is in line to draw into the lineup for the fifth straight game since he debuted Oct. 8 against Colorado.
Working toward his goal of becoming an everyday NHLer.
And taking in every bit of advice that his Head Coach offers.
“He just said to keep doing the right things, playing on the right side of the puck, and being a reliable guy,” Castagna said of his conversations with Huska.
“I think that's my ticket to making a difference here, and I'm gonna keep doing that.”
