He used his AHL stint as a chance to find his groove.
And two games into his most recent recall, Matt Coronato’s confidence is on full display.
The 21-year-old forward was flying all over the ice Tuesday against St. Louis, and is eager to do more of the same tonight when the Flames host the Blue Jackets at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Get tickets
Coronato’s self-belief is self-built, but make no mistake, the numbers he was able to put up in his time in the AHL certainly helped.
In 27 games as a Wrangler, Coronato scored a dozen goals, posted a team-leading 29 points and earned himself an invite to the league’s All-Star weekend in San Jose.
"It was a great experience,” Coronato said of his time with the Wranglers. “I think I definitely believe in myself, to have another opportunity to be here, play with great players.
“I think it’s important for me to trust myself and be confident that I can make plays and do the things that I need to do to help the team have success.”
Alongside Connor Zary and Nazem Kadri, Coronato played 15:28, recording three shots on goal and two high-danger chances Tuesday against the Blues.
He also caught the eye of his head coach.
“I thought he was excellent, I thought he did a really good job,” Ryan Huska said of Coronato’s game. “There’s always a little bit of an adjustment coming up; pace of play, strength of the players, all that stuff, but I thought Matthew did a really good job of recognizing that and turning it around the second game that he played.
“I thought he was one of our better players the last game against St. Louis.”
Coronato credits Wranglers head coach Trent Cull on helping him focus on the details, with countless video sessions now under his belt.
A lot of focus on little things that are obviously hugely important in the game,” said Coronato when asked what the pair pored over. “It was a lot of watching shifts the day after a game, even watching shifts sometimes before games, of little things I should be thinking of, going into games.
“I think it was helpful for me to have that focus and make sure that I’m putting a lot of emphasis on doing all kinds of details."
In his media session Thursday morning, Zary alluded to building chemistry with Coronato, with a goal of fine-tuning their on-ice relationship to the point where they each know where the other will be.
That, Zary said, should open up opportunities for Coronato to unleash a shot that, sooner than later, will be a discussion point around the league.
“It’s how fast he gets it off, and how hard it is,” Zary marvelled Thursday when asked about Coronato’s release. “It’s not much more complicated than that, I think you just see how quick on and off his stick it is.
“A lot of guys can do it, but a lot of guys can’t do it as hard as he can.”
Attention to detail, and a focus on doing the little things right, will pay dividends for Coronato, who enters Thursday’s contest with one NHL goal on the season.
As he makes the turn on his first season as a pro, it’s that time spent on the farm that has helped Coronato feel a lot better about where his game is, and where it’s headed.
“I think I’m feeling confident, I think confidence is a huge thing, it’s really important,” Coronato said. “I think I’ve definitely built up some more confidence over the last however many months.
“I think it’s something that’s continuing to grow every day.”
