'He's Fired Up Again'

From the moment he set foot on the ice Monday morning, Oliver Kylington had a smile on his face.

The Flames defenceman returned to practice at Scotiabank Saddledome, skating with his NHL teammates for the first time since the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He was smooth, he was speedy, and he drew a few ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from his mates when he picked the corner with a sweet snapshot during a drill midway through the session.

“I can still shoot,” Kylington joked with the media following practice.

His presence marked another step in his return to play - Kylington hasn’t skated in an NHL game since that Battle of Alberta playoff series 19 months ago - he most recently got into two contests with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers as part of a conditioning loan.

Everyone, including head coach Ryan Huska, is taking things one day at a time as Kylington inches closer to a return to NHL action, though the Flames bench boss figures Kylington showed well in his first practice back with the big club.

"The way he looked today, it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat," Huska said in his post-practice availability.

Kylington said the practice felt like a normal day, but admits there was a real sense of anticipation to rejoining his Flames teammates as they prepare for Tuesday’s contest against the Blues. Get tickets

“I knew that this day was about to come, so I was looking forward to it and I just try to really approach it as any other day,” Kylington said. “But it was kind of hard, yesterday I had a moment for myself, and there was one point in time I didn’t think I was going to be here, so it was kind of emotional, but in a good way.

“I was excited to come here today and see everyone, share the ice for everyone and play hockey again.”

His teammates, including captain Mikael Backlund, were just as happy to see him.

“It was awesome,” Backlund said. “We’re really excited for him that he turned a corner this fall, and is starting to feel better and coming closer to returning.

“It was great to see him out there today.”

Kylington’s return to the Flames dressing room coincides with the departure of forward Dillon Dube; it was announced Sunday the 25-year-old is taking a leave of absence while he attends to his mental health.

Teammates can forge close bonds, and Kylington made sure to mention that he’s firmly in Dube’s corner.

“I’ve played with Dubs for a long time, I know him pretty well,” Kylington said. “I’m there for him and when he’s ready, and he wants to share, I know how it feels; so I’m there for him, I think the whole organization supports him and his decision, and just wants him to feel better and take those steps to get back.

“I just care for him.”

For Huska, the role of head coach is more than about wins and losses - he's also tasked with being a communicator, and at times a confidante, for his players.

“We always know when a player’s going through tough times, as coaches you do, and you try to have that dialogue and you know when someone’s struggling, but you don’t know the extent of it,” he said. “There’s a lot more comfort in being able to talk about things now, but there’s still a stretch of a person that’s guarded, and they still will hold things in.

“It can be a challenge, you want to do your best to make sure the players know they can come in anytime, and voice something to you and it’s going to stay in your coach’s office with that person, but you’re still working to get there, they’re still guarded at times.”

According to Huska, there’s been no timeline yet as to when Kylington might see game action; in lineup terms, this latest step will see the blueliner work toward becoming a coach’s decision.

But he notes he plan set in place to get Kylington back on the ice has involved plenty of dialogue, and plenty of collaboration.

“He’s kind of ready to take that next step, like we’ve seen all the way along here,” Huska said. “He’s continued to progress, but I think a lot of it was the work our medical team did with him, from our trainers to our doctors, to help that he’s had from back home with different people, to get him to the point where he’s fired up again.”

“It’s nice to see.”