Ollas Mattsson, the Flames' sixth round pick in 2014, spent the 2016-17 campaign with Djurgården in the Swedish Hockey League. In 52 games, he netted one goal and four points. He also played in three postseason games.
Following Djurgården's exit from the playoffs, he got his first taste of North American pro hockey this past spring when he joined the Heat on an amateur tryout. The Stockholm product suited up for nine regular season games, scoring one goal and two points.
"It was lots of fun, going over there. I got to know (new) guys over there, a really good group of guys, and I think I played pretty good," Ollas Mattsson said. "It took a couple of games to get settled in, in the small rink. It was a really good experience for me and I had a lot of fun."
During his tenure in northern California, there was a noticeable improvement in Ollas Mattsson's skating - something which he has put a focus in throughout his training over the past three years.
His first few strides are more fluid, he has more speed, is more agile on his edges, and has more confidence carrying the puck up-ice.
"Every time you see these guys, you see the improvements and you do see that in his game. I do think a lot of that for him sometimes comes down to strength," Huska noted. "For a young guy, they may be tall but they're lanky. They don't have a lot of muscle yet and I think the older they get, they mature physically.
"He's getting stronger. I think the extra work he's putting into his skating is helping and I think he's going to continue improve … he's a driven young man."
Going forward, Ollas Mattsson is undecided on what his 2017-18 season will look like. The Flames retain his rights for one more year, meaning he can go back to Sweden for another season, or he could make the leap to North America this fall.
"Adam is an interesting guy ... we're going to talk to him over the course of the next day or so," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said on Friday. "His options are he could sign a contract - an entry-level contract with us - (or) he's got opportunities to go back and play in Sweden.
"If you watch Adam, and it's hard in this setting, but if you watched him at the end of the year in Stockton, he played regular (minutes).
"We'd like to have him in North America. We'll see how it all plays out."
UPDATE: Ollas Mattsson was signed to a one-year AHL contract on July 21, 2017.
