Sometimes players drafted in the first round step into the National Hockey League and fit like a glove right away.

But here’s the thing about gloves: they’re not one-size-fits-all, and sometimes prospects need a bit of time to adjust to new surroundings. Heck, sometimes circumstances aren’t very conducive to a new player’s success and a reset is needed.

With that in mind, let’s talk about how 2024 went for the Calgary Flames’ 2021 first-round pick Matt Coronato.

Coronato had a great training camp in the fall of 2023, and he ended up making the Flames’ roster to begin the season. But you might recall that the Flames simply were not very good in October – very little of that had to do with Coronato’s play – and as a result, the coaching staff tinkered with the lineup perpetually in an effort to find combinations that worked.

In that process, Coronato bounced around the lineup as more-established pieces were prioritized. (All due respect to Coronato, but you’re going to try to get Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri their best linemates before you worry about a 20-year-old rookie.)

Coronato was sent down to the American Hockey League’s Wranglers in early November, with the Flames trying to get a spark with some new faces from the AHL (Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil) and hoping that Coronato’s game and confidence could be built with a larger role on the farm.

Coronato began his 2024 on the Wranglers roster, but you could pretty easily split his calendar year into segments:

• Jan. 1-20 [AHL]: 2 goals and 4 points in 6 games
• Jan. 20-27 [NHL]: 0 goals and 1 point in 4 games after being called up due to a Pospisil injury
• Jan. 28-Mar. 4 [AHL]: 3 goals and 13 points in 13 games
• Mar. 4-Apr. 18 [NHL]: 2 goals and 6 points in 19 games after being called up due to a Zary injury
• Apr. 18-end of season [AHL}: 0 points in 1 regular season game, and 1 goal and 6 points in 6 playoff games
• Oct. 8-25 [NHL]: 2 goals and 2 points in 5 games
• Oct. 25-31 [AHL]: 2 goals and 2 points in 2 games
• Oct. 31-Dec. 29 [NHL]: 7 goals and 16 points in 26 games

When he was sent to the Wranglers, Coronato played on the top line but also was used in all types of game situations – even occasionally on the penalty kill. Early in the 2023-24 season, Coronato had to be used in offensive situations to be effective. But his subsequent call-ups showed some progression, to the point where he spent six weeks in the NHL on the fourth line and looked pretty good. The need to shelter him was largely gone.

Coronato was called back up prior to Anthony Mantha’s knee injury, but he did a great job mixing his 200-foot game with his offensive prowess and went on a hot streak after Mantha was ruled out for the season. His game has progressed to the point where Flames head coach Ryan Huska feels comfortable using Coronato on Mikael Backlund’s line, a “tough minutes” trio often tasked with going head-to-head with the other team’s best players. In Huska’s own words, a spot on Backlund’s line has to be earned.

Based on his play, Coronato has earned that opportunity. Huska discussed Coronato’s progression following the Flames’ recent win over Chicago – a game where Coronato logged a career-high 21:41 of ice time.

“He’s playing the game the right way,” said Huska. “I feel like he’s a threat offensively for us, as we’ve seen the last number of games. But he’s competitive with his play away from the puck as well. So I think he deserves that time. And part of it, he’s playing with Backs. And Backs, he usually gets the heavy workload. So that factors into it a little bit. But I think he’s deserving of the increased amount of minutes he’s been getting.”

Coronato joined the professional ranks at a time where the Flames were in a period of serious NHL roster transition. He had to bide his time for an opportunity to carve out a full-time role. But he’s put in the work at the AHL level and based on his progression throughout 2024, he’s well-positioned to potentially cement himself on the big club’s roster in 2025.