The Long Island connection is a special one. Wyttenbach hails from Roslyn, about 20 miles west of Coronato’s hometown of Greenlawn. The pair train together in the off-season, and have forged a bond through hockey as each have taken their paths to - and towards - the pros.
“It's a pretty small world on Long Island, especially in the hockey world,” Wyttenbach explained. “So we met when I was younger and obviously never thought anything of it, and as we kind of grew up, it just kind of worked out really well.
“I skate with him a bunch in the summer and see him a ton. So it's been awesome to kind of have him in my corner a little bit as a mentor and just someone who's gone through this process.”
Coronato’s process led to him signing with the Flames following his sophomore season at Harvard. And he, too, was better than a point-per-game as an NCAA freshman, scoring 18 goals and 36 points in 34 contests during the 2021-22 campaign.
It’s safe to say Wyttenbach has taken college hockey by storm this winter, though. His 57 points lead the nation. And his Quinnipiac side heads into the ECAC playoffs this weekend as the top seed in the conference, sitting at No. 7 in the USCHO national poll.
The Bobcats will host Clarkson this weekend in a best-of-three series in Hamden, Conn. And Wyttenbach - who chatted at length at press level with Craig Conroy Tuesday - is well-aware this weekend’s opponent just happens to be the Flames GM’s alma mater.
“We had a bye last weekend and I didn't really like it, to be honest. I kind of wanted to be playing,” Wyttenbach shared. “So it's obviously funny hearing about Craig, and all the little things about him playing at Clarkson and those little rivalries.
“It’s going to be a really awesome weekend, and hopefully we head to Lake Placid (site of the ECAC Championship) next weekend.”
Schedule-wise, the visit really couldn’t have worked out any better. Tuesday’s Flames game came during a soft spot in Wyttenbach’s schedule, and Friday’s Quinnipiac home game - about a 90-minute drive from Long Island - falls between Calgary’s next two contests in Newark and against the Islanders.
And while Wyttenbach’s circling pen surely has early July - and Development Camp - clearly marked, he’s sure to want to head West sooner than that.
Say mid-April? For the NCAA Frozen Four in Las Vegas?
That would be quite the capper on what already has been a season to remember.
“Coming in from juniors (Sioux Falls of the USHL) last year, it's definitely take some time to adjust and kind of get my confidence and just all those little things,” he said. “But I think once I settled in and got adjusted to the older style of hockey and the stronger players, it was pretty smooth sailing from there.
“Our team is in the hunt right now for a national championship.
"So it's a really cool time right now.”
