CALGARY — As the puck snuck through Anton Khudobin’s pads and trickled over the goal line, there was a sense the five men celebrating in unison had done this before.
In Stockton.
It was a rare snapshot for an organization that has fumbled draft picks and player development for the bulk of the last two decades: every player on the ice for the Calgary Flames was a graduate of their AHL affiliate.
At the far end of the rink cheered goalie David Rittich, another product of the Heat.
The Stockton Six Pack.
The goal that tied Wednesday’s game late in the first period was scored by Garnet Hathaway. The assists went to Mark Jankowski and Dillon Dube. The last two to join the group hug were rookie defencemen Oliver Kylington and Rasmus Andersson.
Four of the lads are Flames draft picks, while Hathaway and Rittich were free agent signings. The Flames and their affiliate have brought them all along. After racking up a combined 597 AHL games for the Baby Flames, the gang has now stitched together 305 NHL tilts.
No, their promotions are not a product of injuries or desperation on behalf of the parent club. It’s a sign this team is ready to start taking steps towards contending. It’s a sign of depth, a sign of strength.
Teams like the Maple Leafs have it. The Oilers don’t.
In Calgary it’s relatively new. With the parity and salary cap of today’s NHL, the emphasis on drafting and developing players has never been more important. Gaps certainly need to be filled on every roster by capable players making close to the league minimum. It’s not only a team’s lifeblood, but an indication of how well management has done its job.
Take a look at recent Stanley Cup winners and the list of homegrown products sprinkled through the roster is telling of how crucial it is to be able to promote from within.
The Flames are at that point.
“It’s called development,” said Flames GM Brad Treliving, wearing a massive grin when informed of the Stockton Six’s snipe. “They didn’t do that here for a long time and eventually it catches up with you. Until you’re growing your own, you have no chance for a number of reasons.
“It’s hard to get players now so you have to draft them. Developing is just as important. You need that depth. Without it you don’t survive — you die. We’ve got guys I think we can cycle through here now.”
Case in point, Dube was dispatched to Stockton Thursday to get more minutes, build back his confidence and continue his development.
There’s no question he’ll be back better than ever, which is why none of his Calgary-based Stockton brothers were saddened by the news. They know he’s on a good path in a good organization that can now regularly promote from within.
Ryan Lomberg was the most recent call-up from the farm, but no one will be surprised when players like Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar, Spencer Foo, Kerby Rychel, Dube or Stockton Heat leading scorer Alan Quine are summoned north.
Hathaway said he’s always felt the organization has done a good job showing prospects promotions were possible if they put the work in. Heck, even coaches get elevated in the organization, as former Heat bench boss Ryan Huska can attest.
“I was told from Day 1 when I first took the job down there it isn’t about wins and losses, it’s about making sure players are ready to play,” said Huska, hired as a Flames assistant coach this year.
“Brad had a plan to build the depth of the organization. He really felt our young guys needed to play in the American league in all situations and get confidence.”
They have, and they will continue to do so.
It says plenty about the job being done in Stockton that Peters is confident enough in the players’ abilities to play all five as a unit at various times in Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to Dallas.
“They were good last night,” said Peters, who also didn’t realize all six on the ice were Heat grads. “We’ve got good organizational depth. It’s a good situation we’re in right now. We’re able to use it and tap in down there.”
Jankowski also smiled at being told of the Stockton symbolism.
“I didn’t realize that we were all from Stockton until you just told me,” said Jankowski, a Flames first rounder in 2012 who scored 17 NHL goals last year after being called up the first month.
“We knew when we were down there we had a lot of good guys that could be up here and contribute up here. That’s a big part of why you go down, to get the confidence to come up here and make plays, and I guess that showed with that goal last night.
“I think it speaks to the players that management has drafted and scouted, and the coaching staff is great at developing players.”
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Hathaway agrees.
“To go down there and play top minutes and in all the situations was huge in my development, so now I can produce up here,” said Hathaway, a college free agent signing out of Brown University.
“It’s a long season too — when guys go down you need that depth. It’s a testament to how hard guys are working down there and the guys we have in the organization.”
Kylington was saying before Wednesday’s game how comforting it is to see Andersson flourish in the bigs by simply playing the same game he employed in Stockton a month earlier.
It gives the fellow second rounder the confidence to act similarly on and off the ice.
It’s early, but he too seems to have fit right in.
They all have, making for a celly snapshot the organization won’t soon forget.