'Passionate About What I Do'

Within minutes, A.J. Greer had already freshened up his Instagram bio.

“Calgary Flames,” it now reads. “#18”

Usually, it takes a little while for an athlete to get around to this – and even more so in the throes of a waiver claim when you’re haphazardly stuffing a few weeks’ worth of clothes into a suitcase, before hustling to the airport for the only direct flight out.

But hey, with news like this, he had to get the word out.

“It's super exciting,” Greer said from the gate at Boston’s Logan airport. “Obviously, it's always tough to get on the waiver wire. You kind of start doubting yourself because of certain situations – but at the end of the day, it's all business. Fortunately, I've put myself in a position where people have seen me play and believe in my abilities.

“To have Calgary pick me up and take a chance on me is very rewarding, knowing I have an opportunity to come to a team and have a fresh start and help the team win. It's a team with a very good lineup with big potential. I think, especially with the type of city and atmosphere that the team is in, it's very, very exciting to be a part of.

“I'm looking forward to starting off tomorrow and getting right into things.”

Greer, 26, had five goals, 12 points and 114 penalty minutes in 61 games with the Bruins last year. He’s primarily known as an energy winger that can play on either the left or right side, and according to Head Coach Ryan Huska, will bring a ton of competitiveness and “bite” to the Flames forward corps.

In his own words, the scouting report is even more impressive for the 6-foot-3, 209-lb. winger:

“My career is based off my hard work and the energy I put into every shift,” Greer said. “Flames fans, teammates and coaches are going to see that from the get-go. I'm not someone who takes any time off. I'm very passionate about what I do.

“I’m a power forward that can play in all three zones. Offensively, I can produce, and I certainly have some toughness to my game as well. You’ve probably seen that I don’t mind dropping the gloves and I'm going to go out there and stick up for my teammates when they need me to.

“Ultimately, I'd say my best asset is my forechecking and putting pressure on the opposing team, creating some energy, some havoc and some opportunities when I'm on the ice.”

You can already see what made Greer such an attractive option here in Calgary. On the ice, he has a collection of skills that the club needs more of. His “competitiveness,” Huska explained, is something the organization values deeply.

But this was a player beloved by the Bruins fanbase for much more than his utility between the boards.

He’s a leader in every sense of the word.

And he hopes the hunger he brings the rink every day will help rub on some of his new teammates.

“You always think about championship teams and how they get to where they get to,” Greer said. “It's not one or two players. You need people to push others to be at their best every day, and that's what I do with the energy I bring in games and practice. Being able to elevate those players to another level with the intensity and the passion I bring ... Both on and off the ice, I look forward to rubbing off on my teammates in a good way and be the best teammate that I can be.”

That will start on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Thankfully, he already has a head-start on some of the intros, having played with Nikita Zadorov in Colorado, and having trained with Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane in Toronto a few years ago. And while the Joliet, Que. native doesn’t know Jonathan Huberdeau personally, they did play in a few charity games together this past off-season.

“Actually, I got a text from him. Just now,” Greer laughed. “I've gotten so many texts from random numbers that I don't know. It’s going to take me a while to catch up, but it’s great to feel welcome.

“I’m boarding in about an hour now. If I didn't fly tonight, it would have been tomorrow with two stops.

“But I've got to get a skate in and meet all the guys.

“Wednesday’s right around the corner.”