'PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF'

It was but a sampling.
A taster.
An amuse-bouche of a young man's future.
It was the final game of the 2020-21 season and Connor Mackey took off like a shot.
Then, buried one with authority.
"A lot of emotions," he recalled, picturing the moment some three-and-a-half months ago. "Obviously, coming into the game - that last one of the season - you dream about scoring your first NHL goal. But to be honest, to get the opportunity to be in the lineup at all, I was just focusing on being a reliable guy and showing the coaches that I can be trusted out there.
"I know the game got a bit lopsided on the scoreboard, but it felt really good and it gave me a lot of confidence going into the summer.
"A lot.
"It was awesome."

Mackey showed what many - including Flames GM Brad Treliving - had praised him for as a youngster in college: Excellent hands with a superb first pass, and a smooth, yet tactical stride that moves both rubber and man with a fair bit of ease.
All of it was display as he put the Flames up 6-2 over the Canucks in that notable, late-May finale.
"I remember the winger coming down, and I had a pretty good gap on him if he cut back," Mackey said. "But there was a pass through the middle and Derek Ryan picked it off.
"I knew right away.
"He started skating with it and I thought, 'I'm going to beat this winger off the wall.' I did, and it turned into a mini 3-on-2 after (Ryan) kicked it out wide. I was going to the net with the stick on the ice - the simple little details that you learn growing up. I stopped right at the net, stick on the ice, right on my tape.
"And I put 'er in."
Mackey appeared in six games at the NHL level over the course of the season, logging about 14 minutes per game in ice time, including a season-high 19:10 in the final act at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The 24-year-old also dressed in 27 tilts with the Flames' AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, scoring three times and adding 13 helpers en route to being named a league all-star.
He then closed out his impressive rookie campaign in Riga, Latvia, where he represented the U.S. at the 2021 World Hockey Championship - winning bronze in his first-ever international soiree.
Indeed, the record is awfully impressive.
But with two camps, a full year, and all that all-important first tuck out of the way, Mackey knows the spotlight will be even bigger when camp opens in a few weeks.
"I have expectations of myself and the Flames have expectations of me,"
said Mackey, who inked a fresh, two-year pact with the club on Wednesday
. "But I think overall, I know what I have to do going into camp and what game I need to play. I'm going to be me and play my game. I'm excited to get going here and to see everyone. It's going to be an exciting time and with the fans back, too, it feels like a whole new environment.
"With COVID last year, no fans, and now coming in - it's kind of like my first year all over again."

Mackey initially signed on with the Flames in the early part of the pandemic. He was fresh out of school with Minnesota State - Mankato, but was clearly ready for the pro game.
The 6-foot-2, 190-lb. blueliner took part in the Flames' mid-summer training camp ahead of the 'bubble' in last year's playoffs, and again the following winter with similar protocols in place.
In a nutshell? It meant no pre-season games.
While veterans (and media, sometimes) often sneer at the length of the exhibition calendar, it's valuable mileage for players on the cusp.
In Mackey's case, he had to learn on the fly.
But look where it got him.
"I took a lot away from it," he said, despite the challenges. "Just the ups and downs of it, getting sent down, getting called back up, playing against pros. It was definitely an adjustment all around, but I thought I handled it well.
"The way I ended the season, I was happy with my last couple games there with the Flames and then going into Worlds, it kind of snowballed and helped me going into a summer of training, too.
"Now, I'm looking to pick up where I left off."