Flames' Pelletier opens up on waiver placement: "Kind of a slap in the face"
The 2024-25 season got off to a rough start for Calgary Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier.
After a rough 2023-24 season that saw him battle a shoulder injury, the 2019 first-round pick came into training camp with plenty to prove as he aimed to earn a spot on the opening night roster.
Unfortunately, Pelletier failed to do much in preseason play and was placed on waivers by the end of training camp. The 23-year-old recently admitted the move came as somewhat of a surprise, though he seems to have no issue taking full accountability.
“I haven’t played a good game in the NHL for a year and a half,” Pelletier said to Logan Gordon on Sportsnet 960. “I think it was kind of on me to get back to the way I used to play a year and a half ago. It was kind of a slap in the face, but sometimes you need to take a step back to take two forward.”
Rather than complain, Pelletier has gone to work for the Wranglers and seems to be getting back to the player he was before last season’s injuries. He has eight assists through six games, which leads all AHL skaters. Thanks in large part to his play, the Wranglers own a 5-1-0 record through six games.
“It’s kind of [been] the same as the Flames,” he said. “If you work hard, stick to the game plan that we have, I think success is going to happen. I think throughout the first six games we’ve kind of seen that.”
While being passed on by all 31 teams after being placed on waivers surprised many, Flames fans are certainly happy that he remains with the organization. If he’s able to continue producing as he has through the first few weeks of the season, it may not be long before he gets another shot in the NHL.