CALGARY – Ask Ryan Huska what he expects from Joel Farabee this season and the answer is, well, exhausting.
“I expect a lot,” said Ryan Huska, before launching into the laundry list of roles the 26-year-old winger will be saddled with.
“He’s a penalty killer, he's a power play guy, he can play on our top line, he can be on a checking line… Joel's kind of going to be all over the place, and I think over the last year and a bit we've learned to trust him in a lot of different situations. He thinks the game really well.”
Sound familiar?
“I see him in a bit of a Blake Coleman mould,” said the Flames coach of the obvious comparison many will make in Coleman’s absence this season.
“The longer he plays for us, the more leadership role he takes on, and he's going to be a guy that's going to be in some very big moments for our team moving forward.”
Farabee will indeed open the season in Coleman’s old spot on Mikael Backlund’s checking line, and he may even be handed an 'A' to wear on his jersey, as Coleman had.
It’s quite an evolution for a player who arrived in Calgary unsure where he fit in.
Now he fits in everywhere.
“My whole life I've always played better when the communication has been there, and I’m told, ‘this is what we need you to do — this is how we see you,’” said Farabee, a two-time 20-goal scorer in Philadelphia who arrived in town with Morgan Frost two seasons back.
“I felt like the second I got to Calgary they relayed that message very well, and it made it easier for me just to not think about, ‘I have to score tonight,’ or ‘I have to have a couple points in the next couple games here.’
“I really just focused on being good on the penalty kill, or shutting down their top line. Things like that.”
He did all that last year, while also scoring 20 goals and evolving into a player who was thrilled to be invited this summer into the team’s six-player leadership group.
“I'm kind of not quite an older guy yet, but I'm not a young guy anymore, so being part of the leadership group I think is important,” said Farabee of the honour.
“I feel like I'm kind of one of those guys that could talk to the young guys when you know maybe they're going through something - just be someone they could talk to and help that way.”
Farabee is indeed the youngest member of Backlund’s leadership bunch, which includes Jonathan Huberdeau, Zach Whitecloud, Ryan Strome and newbie Jake Middleton.
Not bad for a lad who will play in his 500th NHL game Oct. 4 in Seattle.
“I feel like I'm more of a lead-by-example kind of guy,” he said with a smile.
“I speak up when I need to, but we have a lot of guys in the leadership group that step up and say stuff. I think the one great thing about our team is how good our locker room is and how much guys care for each other. I think that goes a long way.”
Farabee beamed with pride when he had an 'A' stitched on his jersey late last season after MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson were dealt.
He’s in the running with Whitecloud for the honour this season, joining Huberdeau.
He’s even inserted himself into the community even more, recently joining a handful of players at the Calgary Pride parade, and will soon be launching a community initiative further ingratiating himself with the locals.
“For me personally, it's always about team success,” said Farabee, who had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s 3-1 exhibition win.
“I think we have a really good young team, and I think we can sneak up on a lot of teams, so I definitely have playoffs on my mind.”
