'Going To Be A Lot Of Energy'

He’s been lighting up the AHL.

Now, Matt Coronato gets to slot back into the Flames lineup on the Saturday night stage at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Get tickets

The rookie forward was recalled Saturday morning ahead of the latest yet-to-be-written chapter of the Battle of Alberta.

And the prospect of playing in a provincial rivalry game - on home ice - had Coronato grinning from ear to ear after the morning skate.

“(There’s) definitely going to be a lot of energy,” he said. “It’s an exciting game.”

Coronato says he’s feeling comfortable in a lot of different areas as he returns to the NHL - and the numbers back it up.

He leads the AHL’s Wranglers in scoring with 29 points, despite playing in only 27 contests, while 11 of his 12 goals at that level came at even strength.

But he adds there are other elements of his game that he’s been working on, along with extra tutelage from Wranglers head coach Trent Cull.

“I think I’ve been trying to focus on being good on both sides of the puck, and being good defensively in certain areas,” Coronato said. “Just continuing to play games and get more comfortable is important.”

This morning, he was on a line with Connor Zary and Nazem Kadri, earning a look, too, on the Flames powerplay walk-throughs.

Head coach Ryan Huska says that’s all by design.

“Based on certain skill-sets, certain guys don’t belong or don’t really fit in on a fourth line,” Huska commented. “So if you’re going to get the most out of them and see if they’re ready for the opportunity, they should be given the opportunity where we’re going to see if they can handle the - if you want to call it heavy lifting - or the role responsibility that comes along with playing higher up in the lineup.”

The time in the AHL has allowed Coronato the chance to feel better about himself, and the league has taken notice, too.

Alongside goaltender Dustin Wolf and Cull, he’s slated to represent the Wranglers at the annual All-Star Classic, set for Feb. 4-5 in San Jose.

But back to the present, and the Battle of Alberta, where Huska is hoping Coronato will replicate what he’s been doing with the Wranglers, as he prepares to skate in just his second NHL contest since Nov. 1.

“We want him to have confidence with the puck,” said the Flames bench boss. “We want him to make plays with the puck, and we want to make sure he’s managing it the right way.”