Flames counting on new coach Huska to bring ‘swagger back’ to Calgary

CALGARY – About 40 years ago, Ryan Huska and his minor hockey team from Trail, B.C., won a contest to dine with members of the Calgary Flames. He was just eight and the NHL players sitting at his table were Flames forwards Joel Otto and Colin Patterson, who later went on to win the 1989 Stanley Cup for Calgary, the franchise’s only championship.

Nearly four decades after that memorable lunch, Huska is now the head coach of that very franchise after joining the Calgary organization nearly a decade ago to lead its American Hockey League team. He had spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the Flames.

The 47-year-old Huska was introduced to the media on Monday – the Flames’ fifth head coach in the last eight years – and made it known that his approach both on and off the ice will be very different than the one used by Darryl Sutter, who was fired by the team in May.

Calgary failed to make the playoffs in 2022-23, finishing ninth in the Western Conference with a 37-28-17 record to miss the final wild-card spot by just two points.

While the new head coach wants to maintain strong defensive structure, he wants to tweak how the team defends. 

“When you look analytically, a lot of the categories that we follow or put importance on, we were up there [in league rankings],” he said.

“There are certain areas or categories that we have to do a better job of, and one of them is the types of chances we give up…so there’s going to be tweaks in how we defend…it’s going to make the chances that we give up maybe lesser quality and make the shots that our goaltenders are going to see a little bit more predictable.”

Offensively, Huska will enable his players to use their skillsets and have the freedom to create. He also wants to build an environment that is positive – something that several players voiced concerns about last season.

“You have to create something where the players want to be,” Huska said.

“You want them to have fun around the rink, that’s important, but they also have to come with a focus to get better each and every day … you want to create something where the players are there to enjoy each other and push each other to get better.”

General manager Craig Conroy cited Huska’s communication skills, detailed approach, and his work as the organization’s AHL head coach in developing defencemen Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington, and winger Andrew Mangiapane, as reasons he was the ideal fit for the role. 

“It really became clear the last four or five days that Ryan was the guy,” said Conroy, who was promoted from his assistant GM position with the Flames last month.

“I wanted a good communicator, a leader, someone that can inspire this group, play sound defensive hockey with structure. And then on the offensive side, I want our guys to be creative.”

Huska had a detailed powerpoint presentation that also impressed his new boss.

“He had it right from the beginning, what he thought the weaknesses were, how we’re going to play, different things he would change, video as far as defensive zone, offensive zone,” Conroy said.

Conroy mentioned that the hiring process was longer and more in-depth than he thought and that he consulted current Flames players, including Jonathan Huberdeau.

The star forward is set to begin an eight-year, $84 million contract extension – the largest in team history – and is coming off a 55-point campaign, the biggest season-over-season dropoff in league history. The 30-year-old Saint-Jerome, Que., native had a career-high 115 points in 80 games with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22.

“[I probably talked to] Jonathan the most,” Conroy said, of his interactions with players during the process.

“Last year was last year. That’s what I told him. We need that swagger back. We need that confidence…we need him to be a leader on this team. Obviously making the big trade, coming here, the contract, everything like that, he put a lot of pressure on himself, so we’re trying to take the pressure off him and just say, ‘Come have fun. Play.’”

“He is an excellent hockey player,” Huska said.

“You don’t get to the level of play that he’s achieved by accident.”

Despite a major decision now in the rearview mirror, the work is far from over for Conroy.

Seven key Flames players, including Elias Lindholm, are set to become unrestricted free agents next summer and can sign extensions on July 1. Conroy has said he would not want to go into a season without his prominent players re-signed. Both he and Huska have already touched base with the 28-year-old Swede, and plan to communicate more with their No. 1 centre.

“He wants to know who the coach is going to be, the type of coach, how he sees the team being built heading forward,” Conroy said.

“It’s still a work in progress…he’s a priority for us.”