For Matt Coronato, it doesn’t feel like there’s an “if” around the question of if he becomes a standout Calgary Flames player. It feels like a matter of “when.” Especially with what he’s done in the first few pre-season games. He’s been a compelling storyline for the Flames this last week with some outstanding individual performances.

So far he’s put up a goal and two assists against Seattle and two goals against Edmonton. He’s on track to make that opening roster again and could climb in lineup depth and games played with the Flames this year if he keeps this up.

Matt Coronato made his NHL debut in a brief preview at the end of the 2022-23 season. It was just one game but the hype around him has been building since he was drafted in 2021. He did crack the opening night roster for Flames in his rookie season in 2023-24 and did get a chance at that level. He played for the Flames in October and after 10 games in the NHL with just a goal and an assist, he was sent down to the Wranglers for some confidence building.

That assignment was very successful as he was putting up multiple-point performances after just a few games in the league. In November, he has 15 points for the Wranglers and continued to produce through the remainder of 2023. By mid-January, Coronato earned himself another shot with the Flames and played with them until the All-Star games rolled around. He was assigned back to the Wranglers over the NHL All-Star break and was one of the AHL’s All-Stars alongside Dustin Wolf. 

Matt Coronato played February with the Wranglers and just a couple of AHL games in March before re-joining the Flames. He split his season almost exactly even between the AHL and NHL and put up 15 goals and 27 assists in 41 games played with the Wranglers and three goals and six assists in 34 games with the Flames.

At the end of the Flames season, Coroanto joined the Wranglers for their playoff run as well and had points in every game but their last one. He had a goal and five assists through the six-game post-season run.

For Matt Coronato to outperform his projections for this season, he would have to be pretty much an everyday Flame. There aren’t many limitations on Coronato’s game so when his skill catches up to an NHL pace, he’s going to be pretty tough to take out of the lineup. He’s got stiff competition with the rest of the prospect pool but if he continues to put up points, he’s going to keep his spot.

Even outperforming, I don’t think he’ll average 2-3 points a game as he did in stretches in the AHL, but he could still be a 30+ point producer next season if he’s given the opportunity and playing time.

This season’s expectations for Coronato do not differ much from last season. He could split games between leagues again with maybe a few more opportunities with the Flames than the Wranglers. I would anticipate 60% or more of his time in the NHL next season as this roster has made some changes since he was last skating with them.

If he is able to find some chemistry with a good NHL line, that could be huge for him. In the Wranglers’ playoffs, he, Jakob Pelletier and Cole Schwindt seemed to gel on the top line. If Pelletier also earns a spot with the Flames, that feels like a great spot to pick up where they left off last season.

For Matt Coronato to fall below expectations, he would have to have quite an uncharacteristic year. If he is being outplayed by the other prospects and cannot maintain a spot in the NHL, he may be more of a regular AHLer than expected this year.

Even at that, he should still maintain a productive year continuing with the scoring he has historically had in the league. Adam Klapka did lead the Wranglers in points last season but Coronato was more productive in fewer games. If he has more AHL games this year, he should compete for the top three scoring spots, if not secure the top scorer spot on the team.

Early indications show Coronato is not slowing down in time for October’s season opening. In his Sophomore season, he’s going to be digging for more NHL time by continuing to be effective on whichever line he is needed for. Matt Coronato needs to continue doing what works and take advantage of his remaining preseason time to remain effective when the regular season starts.

Seeing Coronato as a regular Flame would be a very promising move for the 21-year-old but if he slips and needs some more time, he’s got his youthful time and depth on his side. The Flames organization is going to give him his best chance to get reps and whichever league that ends up being, Matt Coronato will continue to approach it with the positive attitude he is known for.