'SHOWING THE WORLD WHAT I CAN DO'

Back in 2016, when Andrew Mangiapane signed his first pro ticket, his first 'big' purchase was a brand-spanking-new car.
Well, sort of.
A humble bucket of bolts, that 12-year-old Saturn Vue served him - and fellow American League rookie Rasmus Andersson - well. And at a couple grand each, the ride-share was a wise move for a player on a $70,000, AHL salary.
Six years later, and on the heels of a 35-goal campaign, Mangiapane has certainly earned some extra petty cash.
But still, he insists, the celebration will remain … muted.

"Nothing - no big things planned," the affable Mangiapane said over the phone Wednesday. "Maybe I'll have some friends and family come over to my house and have a barbeque.
"Me and my girlfriend went to the Bahamas for four days earlier this summer. We had a flight voucher that we needed to get rid of, so we used that and did a quick little vacation after the season.
"That's about it.
Simple.
Soft spoken.
But for a player, whose game is anything but.
Mangiapane has evolved into an elite, play-driving winger with an incredible knack for finishing, in only four years in the bigs. In a league where goal-scorers are the hottest commodity, he was understandably due for a raise from the modest, $2.425M he was earning over the past two years.
But even at $5.8M per over the next three seasons - which is what Flames GM Brad Treliving locked him up for prior to Friday's pre-scheduled arbitration hearing - it's difficult to put into words how much of a steal this is.
The fact that Mangiapane put up career numbers, including that towering tuck total, in primarily a third-line role is a testament not only to his finishing ability, but his passionate, competitive mindset.
And as far as he's concerned, this is only the beginning.
"It's obviously great to hit those numbers," Mangiapane said of his 55 points. "Going into the season, I wanted to help the team win in whatever way possible. And as the season got going, I was getting some great looks, some really good scoring opportunities, and tried to make the most of it.
"That's kind of when you see the potential.
"That all results in being confident and believing in yourself. I always thought I was a good hockey player, but maybe I was a little timid to start my career. I think, now, I'm just coming into my own and am showing the world what I can do, and that I can be an everyday, impact player."

Last year, the 26-year-old was deployed on the second or third line, often with Mikael Backlund at centre, and Blake Coleman or Tyler Toffoli on the wing. Together, they formed one of the most dominant possession lines in the entire league.
But with the departure of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, it's fair to assume that Mangiapane - along with Toffoli and newcomer Jonathan Huberdeau - will all be auditioning for the primetime cast on the Elias Lindholm-centred top line.
That excites Mangiapane, who knows he would have something to offer there, and potentially with a greater role on the team's top powerplay unit.
"I try not to think too far ahead, because so much can change between now and opening night… but yeah, it's definitely something you think about," he said. "When two big names at forward both leave, there's room for players to step up and that includes me. That includes some other players as well. There's room there, there's opportunity, and now it's up to us to fill their spot and continue our own growth, too."
'Growth,' most definitely, being the operative word.
Mangiapane was the poster boy for that, with his emergence helping the Flames capture the division title, re-write the club record book, win a playoff series and capture the hearts and imagination of the collective C of Red.
Back for another three other years here in the Stampede City, he sees big things in the team's future.
"We were so tight," Mangiapane said of last year's group. "We all wanted to play for each other and that, in itself, is great to see at this level.
"Everyone wants to win and each and every game we stepped on that ice, we tried to come together and play as a team and win every game. Obviously, that's tough to do over an 82-game season, but the way that we competed and worked hard on and off the ice, it was great. It was great for that aspect of it.
"But there's also room for us to grow, to build, and to learn from our mistakes.
"I'm confident this team will do that."