His Harvard side was eliminated from NCAA tournament play on Friday in a 8-1 loss to Ohio State, leaving him the decision of whether to return to the Crimson for his junior season or turn pro with the Flames organization.
"I think I definitely had to take a little time to kind of reflect on that last game and reflect on the season and our group," he said. "And we had a really good group, so I wanted to take some time to think about everything. And I guess, today, I was able to decide that. It's an unbelievable opportunity for me and I'm really grateful for how the Flames management has handled all this. And like I said, I'm really, really excited."
Coronato added that he couldn't say enough about the support from GM Brad Treliving the team's hockey ops department through the process.
"They've all been really great. They've been really, really good with helping me through this decision and talking me through things and all that stuff. I'm really grateful for the relationship I have with them."
Coronato scored 20 goals and 36 points in 34 games with Harvard this year, notching 18 goals and 36 points in 2021-22 during his freshman season.
Before that, he suited up with the USHL's Chicago Steel, putting up 18 goals and 40 points in 2019-20 and a whooping 48 goals and 85 points in 51 games the following campaign before heading to the Ivy League.
The right-winger is a natural goal-scorer who's hard to knock off the puck, earning the nickname The Bison during his tenure with the Steel - coined by a member of the team's staff along with the club's announcer - for his ability to crash and bang through traffic without losing the biscuit.
"I don't know too much about bison in real life, to be honest," joked Coronato. "But they told me because I go hard to the net, and just play hard, and I'm hard to play against - that was their explanation for it. So, that was good enough for me."
So how does he describe his game and what he brings to the table?
"I think when I go out there I'm just looking to do whatever I can to help the team win," he said. "I definitely love playing offence and playing in the offensive zone. I think I've had the privilege of playing with a lot of great players in recent years and I've had the opportunity to make some plays. So I think just looking to help however I can ... I'm just looking to do whatever I can to help the team win."
Coronato, who grew up in Greenlawn, N.Y. (also the hometown of one Mariah Carey), spent time in Alberta in 2021 as a member of the U.S. side that took part in the world juniors, notching four goals and seven points in five games. He was in Calgary last year for the development camp and can't wait to return.
"I really enjoyed my time there," he said. "It seems like a great city and a great place to be."
And a great fanbase to play in front of. Coronato says he doesn't spend much time on social media but when told about the buzz surrounding him from the C of Red online, it just further amped up that excitement.
"I know a lot about how great Flames fans are and I know how important the Flames are in the City of Calgary and I think that's absolutely amazing," he said. "Can't wait to get out there."
