HEAT REPORT - 18.12.17

Stockton's boss, Flames' assistant general manager Brad Pascall, was in town to take in the Heat's start to a season-long, seven-game road trip through Southern California with stops in San Diego on Wednesday and then a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday in Ontario and again in San Diego.
And while the trip didn't go the way the Heat wanted, it didn't spoil the mood of Stockton's general manager.
"Our goal with the American Hockey League is to develop players and watch their progression," Pascall said. "It's early in the season here, but we're picking up wins in a positive environment, which is just as important.
"We're really happy with how things are going in Stockton."

While a few more wins to add to Stockton's total would have been ideal, Pascall was able to see in person how the Heat are developing in the AHL, something that's very important to not only Pascall, but to Brad Treliving and the management group in Calgary.
"Across the board, the progression of all of our prospects has been positive," Pascall said. "Whether they're new to the organization like Spencer Foo, or have been around for a while in a player like Tyler Wotherspoon, we feel like every prospect has progressed their game whether it be with their point production or how they play in certain situations."
One of those players who's caught everyone's attention all season long has been Marek Hrivik, who ranks among the AHL's leading scorers with nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in just 23 games played.

"Marek has good size, speed and he can play center and wing," Pascall explains. "He's a true pro, and you see it off the ice as our young guys look up to him. He's definitely a guy we brought in to provide organizational depth and push for a spot in Calgary, and he'll continue to push, and while you don't hope for injuries, he's someone, amongst others, who'd be a quality call-up.
"He played for the New York Rangers last year, so we know he can play in the NHL, and he's shown that here as one of the top scorers in the league."
Another area that Pascall has been very pleased with is Stockton's defence. With three defensive prospects in Rasmus Andersson, Tyler Wotherspoon and Oliver Kylington with over 10 points this season, the talent on the blueline has been exciting for the Flames management to watch.
"We're comfortable with a lot of our defenceman down here, Oliver, Rasmus Andersson, Tyler Wotherspoon to name a few, that could step in, in Calgary and contribute positively," Pascall said. "That's not only a credit to the coaching staff who's worked with them, but also the players in how hard they work as they look to better themselves each and every day."

And that excitement has translated into players making their way up to Calgary and contributing to the Flames. Brett Kulak has been one of those players the last couple of years along with Mark Jankowski and most recently, goalie David Rittich, who's serving as the Flames backup goalie behind Mike Smith.
"David is a tremendous talent and played very well for the Stockton Heat, keeping us in games and earning a few shutouts and was deserving of at least a look up in Calgary," Pascall said. "He's now gotten into a few games and has played extremely well. The think the thing we like about him most is his work ethic, day in and day out."
That's what the AHL does, with head coach Ryan Huska and his staff tasked with not only winning games, but developing players who will help win games at the next level.
And right now, Stockton's boss, and the rest of the Flames management group, is pleased with how things are going through the first 25 games of the season.
QUICK HITS
- The Stockton Heat saw their five-game points streak snapped on Wednesday as the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim's AHL Affiliate) came back to down the Heat. Stockton would earn a point in an overtime loss on Friday night against the Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings AHL Affiliate) and would fall on Saturday in San Diego.
- It was really a week of special teams as the Heat entered the week with the fifth best powerplay unit and the eighth best penalty kill in the league, however, it'd prove to be a tough week for both units. San Diego scored three powerplay goals on both Wednesday and Saturday match-ups while Ontario score one as the Heat penalty kill went 7 for 14 this week. The powerplay didn't fair much better, going just 1 for 12 in the three games in Southern California.
- It was a week of firsts though as defenceman Josh Healey recorded his first pro point, assisting on Marek Hrivik's shorthanded goal to start the game on Friday in Ontario. Then it was Tanner Glass' turn as he scored his first goal of the season on Saturday in San Diego, the lone goal for the club.
- Eddie Lack made 40-saves on Saturday's loss to San Diego, the eighth time in his career that the Swedish netminder recorded 40 or more saves in a single game in his AHL career.
On Wednesday night, the Heat recorded a season-high of 68 penalty minutes in the game against the Gulls, the second most in the AHL this season, while the teams combined for a second most 115 minutes in the box
- The Heat have scored the first goal within the first 6:57 of the start of the game for the past five games, dating back to Dec. 6.

QUOTABLES
"In pro hockey the nice thing about it is that we get a chance coming up pretty quickly. This is a tough trip, and we are playing up against two very good, physical teams and we are playing on the road with a lot of travel. Not that those are excuses, but it is a tough six points to be had." - Tanner Glass on moving on from the first three games of the seven-game road swing
"Good to get the monkey off the back. We were on the penalty kill so I just wanted to get the puck past the blueline and down the ice and we got a fortuitous bounce. Hrivik picked it up and went in on a breakaway and scored." - Josh Healey on recording his first AHL point on Marek Hrivik's goal on Friday night
"The points are valuable. At any time when you find a way to get a point on the road against a team that is really hard to play against in this building it is a big thing for us. It is something that we will take a look at and make a few changes, but there were a lot of good things that we did see from a lot of different individuals tonight." - Ryan Huska on earning a big point on the road in Ontario on Friday