Practice Notebook - 18.02.26

The Flames hit the ice for the first time in two weeks Wednesday morning at the Scotiabank Saddledome, beginning a week-long 'mini training camp' ahead of next week's three-game jaunt to California.

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Tiger Tracks

Blake Coleman had taken part in a few Flames practices prior to the Olympic break, but Wednesday, he shedded his yellow non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a knock Jan. 8 in Boston.

"It was good, it was fun for me, too," the veteran winger grinned. "It literally felt like an offseason, because I went home and kind of got into my normal routine with my kids and working out there, but it's fun to be back.

"The practice was good. Pace was really good. Boys were excited to be back."

Coleman took reps on a line with centre Morgan Frost and rookie Matvei Gridin Wednesday, while longtime linemate Mikael Backlund stayed with wingers Matt Coronato and Yegor Sharangovich.

Needless to say, Head Coach Ryan Huska was pretty thrilled to see No. 20 back in the fold.

"On the ice, he brings something that I think our team missed for that month," Huska said. He's just a heart and soul guy that comes and competes and plays the game the right way, and because he plays the game the right way, he gets rewarded with some offence. He drags people into the fight with him.

"It was nice to see him smiling again, so hopefully things will continue to progress in the right direction for him, and we'll see him in our lineup when we start again."

And as things ramp up again, Coleman's happy to have what ailed him in January firmly in the rear-view mirror.

"I feel great. You know, it was close; I probably could have maybe pushed the last game or so, but one of those things where if I took a hit, I wasn't sure," he said. You know, if it sets it back. I never feel good about being out. It kind of eats at me a little bit.

"The guys played well, and it gave guys opportunities to contribute and maybe elevate their role and find, kind of, a new level. I'm excited to be back, and I feel good."

Do The Griddy

Matvei Gridin rejoined the Flames fold, too, after being recalled Wednesday morning from the AHL's Wranglers.

And both the 19-year-old and his Head Coach have designs on him staying with the big club.

"I think he's taken a lot of steps along the way, and I see him as an NHL player now," Ryan Huska commented when asked about Gridin's recall. "There's a lot of things that he has in his game that will translate well to the game in the NHL, and I feel like we started to see that at the end of his time before the break.

"I think he's done a really good job, and I think he's deserving of having another opportunity to stay on the lineup and see if he can continue to help generate for our team."

In his last NHL outing, Gridin put up a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Oilers Feb. 4, and this past weekend, he coolly slotted home the shootout winner for the Wranglers in a two-game split at Manitoba. He's collected four points from his last five NHL games, to go along with 29 points in 36 AHL contests this winter.

Watch Party

There were audible cheers (and some frustration from forward Adam Klapka) when Canada scored its third-period equalizer and overtime decider at the Olympics Wednesday morning, the Canadians slipping past Czechia 4-3 to advance to the semi-final round.

As the Flames took their twirls on the ice, the contest from Milan beamed down from the Sportsnet scoreboard hanging over the centre circle.

"You guys weren’t even looking at our practice," defenceman MacKenzie Weegar quipped to the media in attendance, acknowledging he and his teammates snuck the odd glance at the screen to keep up to date on the action from Milan.

But earlier Wednesday, forward Martin Pospisil and Slovakia booked their own ticket to the semi-final round, and while Head Coach Ryan Huska admitted he hadn't been glued to the TV for Pospisil's games, he's liked what he's seen so far.

"He's doing well," the bench boss said of Pospisil, who has logged an assist through three appearances at the Winter Games. "I thought he played well on the shifts that I saw today. And it's neat to see him and his team having some success, because that kind of rubs off on a player.

"Whether they're a little Cinderella story, or they're where people didn't expect them to be, it's good for Pospy, and it's good for our team."