The goal of hockey is to score more goals than the other team, so players that can score goals are highly valued by National Hockey League clubs. But it can sometimes take awhile for offensive-minded players to figure out the rest of the game.

Way back at the 2021 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames selected winger Matt Coronato from the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. At the time, Coronato was one of the top pure goal-scorers in his draft class, having led the USHL with 48 goals in his draft year – 16 more than the second-most player – and finished second in the league in points.

Being an extremely talented offensive player, the thought was that Coronato might need some time to round out his game. But as he approaches his 100th NHL game later this season, he sits simultaneously third on the Flames roster in goals with 16 – behind only veterans Jonathan Huberdeau (25) and Nazem Kadri (23) – but he also leads the team’s active forwards in plus/minus (plus-3) and is second behind Blake Coleman among active forward in expected goals percentage (52.2%).

Speaking with FlamesNation at Winsport prior to the Flames’ departure on their four-game eastern road trip, Coronato reflected on how his 2024-25 season has unfolded.

“I think it’s been good,” said Coronato. “I think a lot of learning, trying to take it all in, take advantage of every opportunity. But I think as a team we’ve done a good job to this point, and I think this is crunch time when we can really show who we are. So I’m excited for the last 17.”

Coronato has had a very unique season. He made the Flames roster out of training camp due to some injuries to other players, but once everyone got healthy there wasn’t an obvious place for him on the NHL roster so he was demoted to the AHL’s Wranglers. However, his Wranglers stint lasted one week, and he soon found himself a key part of the Flames’ top three lines and the club’s power play.

Coronato’s game has grown quite a bit over the course of this season.

“Yeah, I think it’s a lot,” said Coronato. “I think playing with Backs and Colsey for so long, they definitely helped me a ton just get acclimated to the league and the consistency you need to play with on a daily basis. And I think that’s still something I’m trying to get better with is being consistent, being at my best every night. But it’s hard to kind of be specific with things. There’s just, I feel like so many things you see and take in every day you’re at the rink from some of these guys with a lot of experience that help a lot.”

The good news is that Coronato’s ability to find quiet spots on the ice and get his superb shot off has translated well from other levels of hockey – Coronato was a dangerous shooter in the USHL, and he’s been able to do that consistently at the NCAA, AHL and NHL levels. The better news is that his two-way game has progressed really well, too, a product of his time spent last season the Wranglers playing in every game situation.

While offensive-minded players, especially rookies, often get sheltered assignments and offensive zone starts to optimize their minutes, Coronato’s usage has been more varied and featured stints on all four forward lines. The two lines he’s spent the most time with are the team’s top offensive line (with Kadri and Huberdeau) and the team’s shutdown line (with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund).

“I think a big focus for me last year, whether I was with the Wranglers or with the Flames, was getting better on the defensive side of the puck,” said Coronato. “Trent Cull did a ton of work with me when I was with the Wranglers, watching video. And it’s just the little things, right? It’s winning those battles on the wall, getting pucks out, putting pucks in at the right time, being smart at the blue lines. All those things are so important over the course of the game. So I think that all goes back to learning from guys like Backs and how to play the game the right way and how to help the team win.”

Saturday’s upcoming game against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena will be a homecoming for Coronato, representing the first time the Long Island product (and childhood Islanders fan) has played close to home in years – perhaps since before he headed off to prep school in 2019. It’s a safe bet that he’ll have some friends and family in attendance for his visit.

The game against the Islanders is projected as Coronato’s 99th NHL outing, with him expected to become the 25th Flames first-rounder to play 100 games with the franchise on the club’s upcoming homestand.

Coronato turned 22 years old in November and the winger is nowhere near a finished product at the NHL level, but as his first full NHL season approaches its conclusion, it’s very easy to be optimistic about the type of player that Coronato could become.