It’s a good thing Arsenii Sergeev answered his phone.
Because at about 7 a.m. Thursday, he got the call every hockey player hopes to get, telling him he’s being recalled to the NHL after Devin Cooley fell ill overnight.
But not only is Sergeev - Calgary’s seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft - here, he’s going to make his first NHL start this evening, when the Flames play their final game of the season against the Kings at the Scotiabank Saddledome. GET TICKETS
“I feel excited,” the netminder beamed. “A little nervous. honestly, but excited for the opportunity.”
The 22-year-old has had a busy first season as a pro, too. After signing out of Penn State last spring, the Russian puck-stopper made 12 appearances at ECHL Rapid City before progressing to the point of taking the reins as the No.-1 goalie with the AHL’s Wranglers.
At the AHL level, he’s made 28 appearances, and while Sergeev has only five victories to his name this season, he’s confident that he’s on the right track.
“There's a lot of good things happening (in my) development,” he explained. “Maybe the result is not there, people might see that. But I think the games went better.
“I think I’m (taking) steps in the right direction.”
So how does a young goalie adapt to making his first NHL start mere hours after being recalled?
If you were to ask Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska, who admitted the impetus to recall Sergeev came at about 3 o’clock this morning, it’s simple. Enjoy every second.
“Like with all the other guys who've been given opportunities to just go and play the game and really enjoy it,” Huska said Thursday morning. “You get one first (game), and that's really our messaging to him.
“Jason's (Goaltending Coach Jason LaBarbera) had a lot of conversations with him, but just go in and make saves. That's his job, is to stop the puck.”
