There will be a nice face in the lineup for the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. Hometown kid Tyson Gross will make his National Hockey League debut for the Flames when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

During Sunday’s morning skate, Gross skated on the fourth line at centre between Martin Pospisil and Adam Klapka, subbing into the lineup in place of the injured Connor Zary, who’s out day-to-day.

“Definitely some nerves, but hopefully they transition to some excitement,” said Gross after Sunday’s morning skate. “Yeah, it’s obviously extremely special. Like I’ve said, I’ve watched a million games here, so to be able to be out there and actually play in one is pretty crazy to think about for sure.”

With the Flames off on Saturday for a recovery day, Gross got a text message from head coach Ryan Huska informing him he would play against the Lightning. He’s the third Flames player to make their NHL debut this season, following Matvei Gridin on Oct. 8 and William Strömgren on Jan. 7.

“He’s been around,” said Huska. “I think he’s had lots of time to spend with our coaches to understand how we play the game. He’s practised with our players now. So it just seemed like tonight was the right night to get him in. So we’re excited for him. It’s quite a cool thing when a guy gets to play his first game, let alone a guy that’s from the area. So he’s a really neat story, so I’m excited to see him play tonight.”

Flames captain Mikael Backlund will be suiting up for the 1,136th time as Gross notches his first appearance. But Backlund still remembers his first NHL twirl, back on Jan. 8, 2009 against the New York Islanders. At the time, Backlund was in the process of moving to the Western League’s Kelowna Rockets from Sweden and he was pressed into service as an injury replacement.

“I remember sitting here waiting in the room during the morning skate, waiting to get the paperwork done for Kelowna and leaving Sweden,” said Backlund. “All of a sudden Bertuzzi got hurt and they told me I was playing. And so it’s a quick turnaround and let’s just get it ready to play, and hit the post first shift and I really enjoyed that game. Big win, too.”

A hometown kid who watched Flames games growing up in the 200-level of the Saddledome, Gross will get a much closer view of the action against Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old signed an entry-level contract with the Flames earlier this month after playing three seasons with St. Cloud State University; he was named an NCHC First Team All-Star and his conference’s Defensive Forward of the Year.