'Worked My Whole Life Towards'

The past few days has been quite the whirlwind for Abram Wiebe.

The 22-year-old started the week gearing up for the NCAA Frozen Four with North Dakota and now he will finish it being a member of the Flames organization after he put pen to paper signing a two-year deal to officially start his pro career.

“Just being able do that (signing), you work your whole life towards that and to finally get that done is a pretty surreal experience and I'm just super excited to be part of the organization.

“This only happens one time in your life being able to sign your first contract and play your first game, so just trying to take all those emotions in and make the best of it.”

It was a season to remember for North Dakota, week after week putting the NCAA on notice with an impressive 27-9-1 mark - the most wins they’ve collected in a season since the 2015-16 campaign.

Ranked as the two-seed, they racked up wins over Merrimack and Quinnipiac in the tourney to earn a spot in the Frozen Four, falling just short of the Championship game after the setback to Wisconsin last night.

“We had just an unbelievable year,” Wiebe said. “With the coaching change in the summer, with Dane Jackson coming in and bringing in 50 new guys and being able to make it to the Frozen Four, just shows just how deep our team was and how good we are and how we gelled together as a team.

“Obviously not the way we wanted to end it, but I thought it was just a great year and a lot of good things that we could take out of it.”

The defender was pivotal in the team’s success, posting 29 points, five goals and 24 assists, in 40 games to lead all defencemen on the squad in scoring and earned All-NCHC Second Team honours.

Throughout his collegiate career, Wiebe was also leaned on off the ice by the coaching staff to be a key voice and presence in the locker which he stepped up and took pride in on a daily basis.

“I thought I was consistent throughout the season and was able to just take another step in my development,” he said. “Wearing an ‘A’ and just growing as a leader on and off the ice and kind of helping those freshmen coming into college because I know it can be tough coming in.

“Through my time there with Brad Barry, Dane Jackson, Dylan Simpson, who was my defensive coach, and then this year with Matt Smaby coming in, they've done an unbelievable job with that program. They've done so much for me in developing me as a player and especially just as a human being as well and I'm just so thankful that I was able to be a part of that and be a part of that culture. There's nothing like it. Sad to see it end, but I'm also just really excited for the opportunity heading to Calgary.”

And the opportunity is coming fast, with Wiebe available to make his NHL debut tomorrow night when the Flames take on the Kraken to close out a six-game road swing.

“I could thank so many people in my life for getting to me at this point,” he said. “My mom, dad, brothers, sisters, just the countless hours of driving me to the rink at six in the morning for practice and taking time out of their day to let me pursue my dream.

“I think I’m just going to go out and enjoy the experience and have fun. It's something that I've worked my whole life towards and to be able to get to this point is just a surreal experience. I’ve dreamt my whole life towards this and just want to go out and don't overthink it."