As disappointing as the Calgary Flames’ 2024-25 season ending was, there were plenty of bright spots.
Netminder Dustin Wolf essentially dragged the Flames to the precipice of reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2021-22, but the emergence of other young players helped the Flames make the push..
In this article, we’ll look at Matt Coronato’s 2024-25 season, looking at the expectations coming into the season as well as how he performed.
Coronato’s 2024-25 expectations
The Flames selected Coronato from the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft. After attending Harvard for two seasons, he eventually signed his entry-level deal with the Flames and played a game for them to end the 2022-23 season.
With how high he was picked, there were expectations in his first full professional season. However, Coronato scored just three goals and nine points in 34 games during the 2023-24 season while registering a -15. In the American Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers, he scored 15 goals and 42 points in 41 games, so there were some positives coming into his second full professional season.
The expectation heading into this year was just for the winger to take a step forward. Coronato did that – and more.
How Coronato did in 2024-25
Coronato made the Flames out of pre-season and had a multi-goal game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 15. After five games, he was demoted to the Wranglers, where he played two games, scoring twice. He was recalled and he never looked back.
Over his final 72 games, Coronato finished with 22 goals and 45 points. Of his 24 goals on the season, 19 of them were during even strength, while 11 of his 23 assists were of the even strength variety.
His 24 goals for the season were tied for the fourth-most for players selected in the 2024 draft. Only Wyatt Johnston (33 goals), Matthew Knies (29 goals), and Dylan Guenther (27 goals) scored more than Coronato. Moreover, he tied Kent Johnson, while ranking ahead of Mason McTavish and William Eklund.
There were six players from that draft class that finished ahead of Coronato in points, Johnston, Eklund, Knies, Guenther, Johnson, and McTavish; however, all six of those players had the benefit of a full National Hockey League season coming into the year, while Coronato played 35 games coming into the 2024-25 year.
Coronato has quickly become one of the best forwards from the 2021 draft class, and if his expectation was to take a step, he did that and more. But what about his expectations for next season?
Next season’s expectation
Okay, so what about next season for Coronato? Will he hit a (full-season) sophomore slump, or will he take another step forward?
It’s not hard to look at his game and envision a consistent 30-goal scorer. He’s not a fast skater by any means, but he has a wicked release that he showcased plenty this past season. If he takes another step forward, and that’s an if because development is non-linear, the Flames got a goal-scoring top-six forward for the future.
Overall, Coronto impressed in 2024-25 and deserves a B+ on his report card.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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