HEAT REPORT - 01.01.18

It was a wild ending to 2017 for the Stockton Heat, but unfortunately for the club, an ending that resulted in a week where the Heat picked up a point in an overtime loss in their return from Christmas Break, and two disappointing losses.
But while the Heat have a lot to look back and like about 2017 as a whole, it wasn't the ending to the year the club wanted to have, in particular falling in their return home on New Year's Eve to the Bakersfield Condors.
"I think with some parts of the game we need to simplify it," defenceman Tyler Wotherspoon said. "Sometimes we try to do too much and that can lead to odd-man turnovers, which have not been kind to us lately."
"We need to simplify our game and get back to our game that we were playing early in the season and good things will come."

And good things had come for the Heat in 2017, whether you look at the way Stockton ended the 2016-17 season in a stretch that saw the Heat go 14-3-3-1 and clinch their first berth to the Calder Cup Playoffs, where they'd take the top team in the Western Conference to the brink before ultimately falling in the decisive Game 5 match-up in San Jose.
Or the start of the 2017-18 campaign that has seen the Heat fluctuate from first, second and third in throughout the entire season.
Stockton played a total of 69 regular season games in 2017 and went 34-26-6-3.
Looking back, 2017 was also a year of opportunity for some of the brightest prospects the Flames have.
Defenceman Rasmus Andersson up with the Flames through the better portion of the end of the 2016-17 season, culminating in his NHL debut on April 8, 2017 while both of Stockton's stellar goalies, Jon Gillies and David Rittich, logged some time with the Flames, with Gillies earning his first NHL win in his first NHL start against the Los Angeles Kings and Rittich making his NHL debut in the season finale in San Jose to cap off the 2016-17 season.
Or when you look at Stockton's top line to start the year in Mark Jankowski, Garnet Hathaway and Andrew Mangiapane, who now all find themselves in the NHL with Mangiapane making his NHL debut on the Flames New Year's Eve win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
"I think I had a little nerves before the game, some trouble falling asleep, but as soon as I stepped on the ice, I told myself it was just another game, so I kept my game simple and played hard," Mangiapane said with a smile from ear to ear after his first NHL game. "It was a great feeling, the atmosphere, the fans, my family being able to see it. It was an unreal feeling and I'm so happy right now."
"I'm at a loss for words."
Fortunately for Mangiapane, his coach in Stockton, Ryan Huska, was not at a loss of words to gush about Mangiapane and his former Heat linemates.
"We enjoy watching them when they're playing for the Calgary Flames," Huska said. "Those three in particular (Mangiapane, Jankowski and Hathaway) are internally driven guys where they want to be the best at whatever they're trying to do. A lot of it has to do with the pressure they put on themselves to be the best.
"That's what's allowed them this opportunity."
And while Huska had a game to coach, you know he had to take a quick peak at the box and see how his disciples were doing, including Mangiapane who may never have stopped smiling on New Year's Eve.
"It must just be a thrill for him right now, and while I can tell you I'd like to have that line back here now to throw on the ice for 20-plus minutes a night," Huska said with a smile and a laugh. "Andrew through it all has been consistent and he's really earned it and that's the best part about this call-up."
"He's a guy that deserves to go up and we have a lot of confidence in him and his ability."
So as we usher in another New Year, 2018 will be very similar to that of 2017, and even 2016 before, as a year of opportunity for Flames prospects on the Stockton Heat.
With players like Andersson, Wotherspoon, Oliver Kylington, Morgan Klimchuk, Marek Hrivik and many others looking to find a level in their games to show that they can be of help at the next level, and with the Heat's 16-10-2-2 start, with half of the road schedule for the season behind them, there is certainly reason to be encouraged that 2018 will see even more Heat players ready to step up for the big club when they get the call.

QUICK HITS

• The Heat returned from break to start a rare, AHL-NHL doubleheader with their parent club in San Jose. It was just the second time the Heat played the San Jose Barracuda at the SAP Center in San Jose prior to the Flames taking on the Sharks. Unfortunately, it wasn't great results for either club as the Heat fell in overtime 6-5 and the Flames fell 3-2 in extra time.
  - The Heat didn't stick around to see the Flames game as the club picked up and bussed to Southern California for a game against the Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings Affiliate), but would fall short in that contest by one goal scored in the final minute of the contest.
  - The Heat returned home after a stretch that saw them play 13 of 14 on the road on New Year's Eve to start a season-long, six-game homestand, but the Heat were downed by the Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers Affiliate) by a 3-1 final.
  - During that stretch of 13 of 14 on the road, the Heat went 6-5-2-1 and won the lone home game in between a six-game and seven-game road swing from mid-November to late-December.
  - Before his call-up, Mangiapane this week had scored 3 goals and added an assist in the games in San Jose and Ontario. He was on a four-game point streak where he had 4 goals and 2 assists at the time of his call up.
  - Austin Carroll scored his first goal of the season in Ontario. Friday's goal was a game-tying goal in the third period for the Heat winger, who had perhaps his best game of his career, leading the team with 7 shots, a career high for him and a season high for Stockton players in a single game.
  - Tyler Wotherspoon is having a career year for the Heat, with 20 points through the first 30 games of his season, Wotherspoon is just 4 points back of matching his career high of 24 points he established with the Adirondack Flames back in 2014-15. Wotherspoon became the fourth skater on the Heat, and first defenceman, to record 20 points this season, joining Mangiapane, Hrivik and Klimchuk.

QUOTABLES

"On a positive note, we have had a good first half. Considering the hectic travel schedule we had, we have given ourselves a chance in the second half of the season to do something special." - Tyler Wotherspoon on looking at the first half of the season
"You have to look at some positives, but there are definitely some things we have to learn. Closing out games is huge. If you want to be a successful team you have to finish it off. Heading back home we can learn from this." - Austin Carroll on closing out a stretch of 13 of 14 games on the road over .500
"It is such a long season, you go through stretches, what with 13 of 14 on the road. In my 12 years, I don't think I've played that kind of schedule and at the end of the day you keep your head above water coming out of it over .500. Obviously, it was a bit of a tougher one tonight with it right at the fingertips." - Heat Captain Rod Pelley on finishing up the season-long seven game road swing and a stretch of 13 of 14 on the road over .500
"You know they are here physically, but you always have to know that someone is watching. Whether they are in the building or up in Calgary watching in their office, you kind of have to play the same way and ultimately that is when you are going to get rewarded when you are consistent and doing the right things every night." - Ryan Lomberg on Calgary management and coaching staff taking in the Heat game ahead of the Flames vs. Sharks game
"We seem like we are all about one person instead of doing things together. It is something that we have to spend some more time on. It is an area that has hurt us so far this year and we have missed out on some few points now because of it." - Coach Huska on the team's 3-on-3 overtime struggles this season