Huska comfortable, confident in ability to lead Flames as coach

Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy conducted an extensive search to find the team's new coach, but he ultimately realized the best candidate was already in the organization.

Ryan Huska was hired as coach of the Flames on Monday, replacing Darryl Sutter, who was fired on May 1.

It is the first head coaching position in the NHL for Huska, who spent the past five seasons as an assistant with the Flames. Prior to that, he was the head coach of Calgary's American Hockey League affiliate in Stockton and Adirondack for four seasons.

"Obviously, you want to go through it the right way, and last year we had new players coming in and trying to get acclimated to the city and to the team, and to be able to have that (continuity) is a bonus," said Conroy, who was promoted from assistant general manager on May 23. "I wouldn't have, though, if I felt there was a person out there better suited to coach this team. … Fortunately, to find the right person internally, it just makes it that much smoother a transition."

Conroy said he was given free rein by Flames ownership to hire who he felt was the best candidate for the job. And outside of previous NHL head coaching experience, Huska checked all the boxes.

The 47-year-old started his coaching career back in 2002 as an assistant with Kelowna of the Western Hockey League, eventually becoming head coach in 2007. Two years later, with a team that featured current Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn, Nashville Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie, and Flames center Mikael Backlund, Kelowna would win the WHL championship and advance to the Memorial Cup final.

Huska coached Kelowna for seven seasons before he was hired by Calgary to coach its AHL affiliate in Adirondack on June 23, 2014. And after four seasons in the AHL, he joined the Flames as an assistant under Bill Peters (2018-19).

Huska also worked under Geoff Ward (2019-21) and Sutter during his time as an assistant.

"I wanted to be in the NHL, and I knew in order for me to get there I would have to take a lot of steps along the way," Huska said. "Part of those steps is earning trust, and you do that in each and every one of those steps. I feel like I did that with our guys here and as a head coach in the American League. I feel like I earned trust in a different way when I came up here as an assistant, and I'm going to do the exact same thing now as a head coach where I'm going to earn their trust."

Trust is something that appeared at times to be lacking this season, and as a result, Calgary missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs after winning the Pacific Division in 2021-22.

"There is always unhappiness when you don't win, no matter what the situation is," Huska said. "The one beauty of all this is, we had players who had good years last year and the players that in their own minds didn't have years they wanted to, it is a fresh start."

One of those players is forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who had 55 points (15 goals, 40 assists) in 79 games this season, his first in Calgary after being acquired from the Florida Panthers along with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade for Matthew Tkachuk on July 22. Last season, Huberdeau was tied for second in the NHL with a career-high 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) in 80 games.

Conroy said he talked with the Flames' core, which includes Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane and Backlund, about hiring Huska.

"Probably Jonathan the most. I talked to him right after I got the job," Conroy said. "Last year was last year, and I told him we need that swagger back, we need that confidence, and I thought toward the end of the year he was making huge strides. He looked like he was taking more charge, and we need that. We need him to be a leader on this team."

Huska believes all of his previous coaching experience will allow him to get the most out of a talented roster.

"You're always taking information with some of the people I've had a chance to work with and for. It's almost like you're creating your own little book," Huska said. "Then you start building your profile as to how you would like to see a team play. You don't get that opportunity if you're not put in those situations. I look at it as this was the way I was supposed to go. I had to get myself to a point where I know the players, I know the league, I know the demands that are placed on them, I know the demands that are placed on the staff to allow me to be comfortable and confident in this position, which I fully am now."