Pelletier reaches pivotal point in young career

Calgary Flames 2019 first-round pick Jakob Pelletier knows that if he wants to stick as an NHL regular, it won’t be as a scoring forward. 

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound left winger said he’ll have to make it as a bottom-six, defensively reliable winger who asserts himself on the forecheck and is a pest to play against. 

“I think [my game] works well on the fourth line,” he said last week. “It’s on me to be ready in case something happens, and they want me to go up in the lineup.”

The Flames have a tough decision to make on the 23-year-old Quebec City native, who needs waivers to be sent to the American Hockey League. Pelletier has bounced between the two leagues throughout his career. He’s been close to a point-per-game player in the AHL, but has yet to find that consistency at the NHL level.

Pelletier also hasn’t been as noticeable in training camp as other young forwards, while prospects like Samuel Honzek, Matthew Coronato, Sam Morton, and Adam Klapka are impressing the coaching staff. The team has veteran depth on its top two lines, so those young players are competing for a couple of bottom-six spots. 

Pelletier has suited up for three preseason games and has zero points and a -3 rating while seeing little time on special teams.

“Stretches of it,” head coach Ryan Huska said after a recent practice, when asked if he’s seen Pelletier use his speed consistently. “We want it to be consistent and that’s the biggest thing…it’s finding a way to do it every shift.”

Pelletier has skated the past few days on a line with veterans Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman and has tried to play, as he’s called it, “Jakob Pelletier hockey.”

“I was hard on the forecheck and being a pain in the ass to play against,” he said of his first two preseason games. 

Pelletier allowed that he’s rebuilding himself after a trying 2023-24 campaign. 

He hurt his shoulder in training camp and didn’t suit up until February. Less than a minute into his fourth game back, he reinjured the same shoulder after getting hit by New York Rangers defenceman Jacob Trouba. Pelletier returned to the lineup after two weeks, but wasn’t the same player. He ended the campaign with three points in 13 games, and spent the final months in the AHL.

“It was hard,” he said. “You have surgery after surgery. I was out for four months, came back, and I was feeling really good…I was not scared [after the hit], but at the same time, I was kind of hesitant a little bit, and to play my type of game, I cannot be hesitant.” 

He spent the summer with his family in Quebec and played lots of golf with his father, resetting ahead of a critical season in his young career as the Flames determine who will be part of the team heading forward. 

Honzek leads NHLers in preseason scoring, while Coronato is among leaders in goals. Klapka has formed a strong chemistry with veterans Kevin Rooney and Ryan Lomberg on the fourth line. 

“After last year everybody was talking about, ‘Oh jeez, where is this Honzek guy? Is he going to be a player?’” said Huska after the team’s 4-3 overtime win over Seattle on Monday. “Well, [Honzek] is a player. A pretty good player, so we’re pretty excited about where he’s at right now.”

Right now, Pelletier appears to be on the outside looking in. The Flames have to decide if they will reward one of those other young players with a roster spot and attempt to sneak Pelletier through waivers with the hope that he comes back to the NHL ready to make an impact. The risk is that another club sees Pelletier, still young and on an inexpensive deal, and claims him. 

But the strong play of Calgary’s other young forwards may force management’s hand, if not now then possibly after the season begins. General manager Craig Conroy has constantly said that young players have to earn jobs and won’t be given them just because the club is in the midst of a roster transition. 

Pelletier is a very popular teammate. He lived with Connor Zary in the minors, and Jonathan Huberdeau has taken him under his wing. Veterans love the energy and perpetual smile he brings to the rink. He’s keenly aware that he’s at a pivotal point of his young career, but appreciates what he’s learned during a difficult 12-month stretch. 

“Anything can change in a game or a shift,” he said. “You can’t take things for granted and to play in the NHL is a privilege…

“You’ve got to work your ass off every day. For practice, for games, you’ve got to work hard and just give everything you’ve got because everything can change in a second.”