'Prove The Expectations'

Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska’s endorsement of rookie winger Matvei Gridin says it all.

"I see him as an NHL player now,” the bench boss said Wednesday, shortly after his group got back together on-ice for the first time since Gridin’s two-point night helped Calgary knock off Edmonton in their final pre-Olympic contest.

And why not?

In his 13 games of NHL work - and his half-season in the AHL with the Wranglers - Gridin has shown plenty of potential.

And he’s pretty focused on showcasing that potential on NHL ice from here on out.

“I hope I'll stay in the NHL the rest of the season and, like, start in NHL next year,” Gridin said Thursday after the Flames held an hour-long practice at WinSport. “I don't know, if he said that, that's great to hear. And great to hear that they, like, see that in me.

“(I’m) trying to … I don't know how to say it next. Prove the expectations.”

"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,” Huska added about Gridin Wednesday. “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."

It’s been quite the rise for Gridin, drafted with the No.-28 pick out of the USHL in 2024. Over the past three seasons, he’s gone from Muskegon to a Rookie of the Year campaign with Shawinigan of the QMJHL last winter.

He made the Flames’ opening-night roster - scoring in his debut Oct. 8 at Rogers Place in Edmonton - and over the course of a full NHL campaign, he’s producing at about a 40-point rate, despite still being a week and a half out from his 20th birthday.

“You have to go through it, probably, to be a better player,” Gridin said of his progression. “I think I handled (it) pretty well.

“Just try to do the same thing (at the NHL level).”

Gridin’s a quiet guy. But beneath the soft-spoken interviewee, there’s a swagger to the Russian’s personality. It comes from a sense of self-belief, but also a bit of showmanship - as evidenced by his slick, between-the-legs shootout goal last week at the AHL All-Star Classic in Illinois.

And make no mistake, Gridin’s teammates took notice, too.

“I did it well, like, when I was, like, 11 years old, like, 12,” Gridin said of his move. “And yesterday (Morgan) Frost, he sent me how he scored (similarly with) Philly.

“He said, like, ‘You can thank me for teaching you everything’ or something like that.”

Gridin has spent the first two post-break practices on Frost’s wing, as he did for Calgary’s five most recent contests leading into the Winter Games layoff.

Together, they’ve combined for seven points during that span. But regardless of who he’s alongside, Gridin just wants to be in the lineup, beginning a week today when the Flames get back to game action in San Jose.

“How many games left, like, 25, 26?,” he asked the attending media when queried on his rest-of-season goals. “Yeah, just play all 26 games.”

“Just play my best. Like, if I can put up points on board, that's great.”