'Bring The Best I Can'

The card might have read ‘Moops.’

But the nameplate in the corner of the Flames dressing room read Castagna.

The newest Flames centre took the ice for practice Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, part of a whirlwind 24 hours for Jonathan Castagna that means for now, learning those 90s pop culture references will have to wait. 

See, from the moment he signed his entry-level deal in March - after being acquired from Utah earlier that month - the Ivy Leaguer has adopted the nickname ‘George,’ a moniker that Head Coach Ryan Huska admits initially caught his new pivot by surprise.

“We call him George, I’m sure you understand why,” Huska told a throng of reporters Wednesday morning. “He didn't actually, when we first started calling him (that), he said he never watched Seinfeld, if you could believe that. 

“I know. But that is his nickname now.”

But since he first arrived in the organization, Castagna has done everything right. Even this past Friday, the product of Etobicoke, Ont. scored twice for the AHL’s Wranglers in his pro hockey debut. 

A pretty nice way to begin a professional journey, even if Castagna didn’t want to take any of the credit.

“I would say it's been pretty good,” the 21-year-old said of his first strides in the Flames organization. “You know, there's still growing pains everywhere, (but I’m) just trying to be the best I can be. 

“But the coaching staff has been really awesome to me. The older players have taken me under their wing, and I think we have a really good team there - the Wranglers - and the culture has been awesome. So you could say I had a good start or whatever, but I think it's just a testament to how we are as a team.”

Castagna skated Wednesday with fellow call-up Aydar Suniev and Adam Klapka, a sign that he could be in line for his NHL debut Thursday evening, when Calgary hosts Colorado at the Scotiabank Saddledome. CLICK FOR TICKETS

There’s a tailor-made spot for a centre on the Flames’ fourth line - Martin Pospisil was bumped up onto a trio with Sam Honzek and Ryan Strome at Wednesday’s practice - but for Huska, Castagna’s biggest strength is his awareness of how he can make an impact, no matter where he’s slotted in.

“I think he understands the type of player that he is and wants to be,” the bench boss stated. “I think he's a bigger, heavier, harder young man. And I think his game got better, or his practices and (preseason) games got better every day that he was here. 

“He’s an interesting package, that's for sure. We need some bigger, heavier centres, guys that can win some faceoffs, and he does fit that mould, for sure.“

Castagna won nearly 64% of his faceoffs last season at Cornell, finishing in the top 10 in the nation in overall draws won. 

But he’s thought about the chance in front of him since well before being signed in March. Injury kept him from seeing any action once his 2025-26 collegiate campaign drew to a close, which has only given Castagna more time to visualize what that moment, that NHL debut will feel like.

“I get to actually wear (the gear) this time, so it's pretty cool,” he chuckled, alluding to a quick pit stop in Denver at the end of last season where he made introductions, but saw no ice-time. “I’m excited. I'll say that a lot, probably, because I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything here.

“I’m just trying to bring the best I can, because you don't get these chances very often.”