'GREAT TO FINALLY BE HERE'

It's been a long time coming.
Flames' 2021 first rounder Matt Coronato had to wait to get his first experience of Calgary as last year's development camp was held virtually due to COVID, which meant no on-ice sessions and no trip to Alberta for the 2021 draft class.
Fast forward to the present and it's back to business with camp back to its usual format, bringing together players from all over the world for an introduction to the organization.

"It feels great, kind of said it yesterday that it's been a long time it feels like," Coronato said. "It's just great to finally be here, see faces and meet a lot of the guys.
"Familiarity is a big part of being here and just continuing to develop. These are great skates and good workouts. Just continuing to develop my game but meeting all the guys is a big part of it, definitely.
"I haven't got to explore too much, just by driving around a bit its really nice. I have noticed that it stays light out pretty late which I like a lot."
There was a lot of buzz after the Flames selected Coronato with the 13th overall pick, and for good reason.
In his draft year, he collected 85 points in 51 games for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. He then made the jump to NCAA hockey this past season and enjoyed a successful first year at Harvard, leading the club in scoring with 36 points (18G, 18A) in 34 tilts.
Coronato is set to return to Harvard for another season as they look to build off a year that saw them reach the Frozen Four.

"Just hoping to keep improving and developing," he said when asked what to expect in his sophomore season. "I think we should have a good group, little older and a little more experienced. I'm looking forward to that.
"It's important for me to keep getting better. The staff there does a great job of developing guys and moving them on up. It's another year to get bigger, stronger and develop with my teammates that I like a lot. Thought it was the best move for me."
When meeting with the media Tuesday afternoon at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex, it was evident on how much the 19-year-old had focused on adding size to his frame.
His ability to put the puck in the net has always been evident, but the work is not done in fully rounding out his game and something he is dialed into working on during his time here in Calgary and further into the off-season.
"It's been a big priority for me," he said. "Been working out at home with my trainer and it's been great. Putting on upper body weight was one of the biggest things going into the off-season for me, just being able to be hard on pucks, shooting and just overall strength. A lot of Olympic weight lifting.
"I think my speed is a big area that I can improve on, still putting on that weight, getting stronger and staying harder on pucks. The defensive part of the game is big too, I keep working on that. Being able to play big moments defensively at any time of the game and just be ready for them."