Flames prospect Coronato scoring at will in the AHL
His NHL stint to begin the season may not have gone the way he had hoped, but Matt Coronato is proving the Calgary Flames made the right choice in drafting him.
The 21-year-old winger was selected 13th overall in the 2021 draft by the Flames, viewed at the time as an offensively gifted talent with a lethal shot. He proceeded to play the next two seasons with Harvard University before choosing to turn pro for the 2023-24 campaign, a decision which looks to be the correct one.
Coronato was able to crack the Flames’ opening night roster after an impressive training camp but struggled to make an impact and was assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in a short time. He has remained with the Wranglers aside from a brief one-game call-up in December.
Since joining the Wranglers, Coronato’s scoring touch has been rediscovered. The rookie has enjoyed great success through the first 23 AHL games of his career, scoring 10 goals and a team-leading 26 points.
With the Flames not looking to contend this season, it makes sense to allow Coronato to continue dominating the AHL for the rest of the year in order to keep building up his confidence. Should management allow for that to happen, there is a great chance that he is ready to be a steady offensive contributor for the Flames in 2024-25.
Coronato is one of just several exciting young pieces the Flames have, as others like Connor Zary, Jakob Pelletier, Dustin Wolf, and Samuel Honzek all appear to have bright futures ahead of them as well. While the current Flames aren’t as dominant a team as fans would like, that could very well change for the better in the upcoming years.
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