'Just Keep Getting Better'

Matt Coronato spent the summer back home on Long Island working and training with a handful of players, including heralded Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach.

And he had high praise for him.

Wyttenbach, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft, had a heckuva freshman season at Quinnipiac last year, leading the nation in scoring with 25 goals and 59 points in 40 games.

He turned a lot of heads with his performance, and Coronato was impressed with what he saw in person on a daily basis this summer.

 “Yeah, I mean, he's such a great player,” Coronato said after his on-ice session on Day 1 of training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “He's got so much skill. He works really hard. So, it's been a lot of fun for me to get to spend some time with him and just watch him because he's really, really good.

“He's really skilled. Like he's a really skilled player. He looks awesome on the ice. Works hard in the gym. Yeah, he's doing everything right.”

Coronato is able to serve as a sounding board for Wyttenbach, and answer questions if asked, as his fellow Long Islander continues his journey to the NHL.

“Little bit here and there,” said Coronato. “But he's definitely on the right path. He's doing things well. Like I said, he works so hard. So, I think it's nice get to have a little bit of a relationship as he gets going here.”

Coronato, a former first rounder taken 13th overall in 2021, comes into this season looking to build on last campaign, where the talented offensive standout had 18 goals and 27 points in 80 games, including seven powerplay markers.

“I think just my main goal is just to keep getting better,” said Coronato. “There's a lot of areas I think, like finishing is one that probably sticks out to me right now. I got to be able to finish my chances and do that better than I did last year.

“But there's a lot of lot of important areas I can get better at defensively. I want to be trusted to be out there with a lead late in games. That's important to me, and it's just little winning plays that are also really important: whether it's getting a puck out, getting off the wall when you can to help make plays easier, doing the little things that help the team win. It's what I'll be focused on.”

His conversations with coaches have been in the same vein.

“Yeah, I think just the same as what I said,” he explained. “Just keep getting better as a player. Definitely need to be a guy that's helping out with scoring and being an impact offensively. But at the same time, I think the coaches want me to become a guy they can rely on defensively, too. Just like I want that, like it's kind of a mutual understanding how important that side of the game is for me.”