Stockton pipeline flowing with talent
Flames’ call-up Jankowski honoured with Bobblehead Night in AHL city
For fans of the Calgary Flames farm club, Saturday is Mark Jankowski Bobblehead Night at Stockton Arena.
That is if there are any of the keepsakes still available.
“I think Janko’s mom asked for about a hundred of ’em,” teased fellow Flames call-up Garnet Hathaway, the latest arrival via the Stockton-to- Saddledome prospect pipeline.
“Hopefully, they leave some for the fans. But I’ll be surprised.”
Jankowski confirmed his proud mother has requested a bunch of bobbleheads, perhaps as holiday stocking stuffers for family and friends, but the 23-year-old centre won’t be there to ensure Rosemary’s order is filled.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t hearing about it.
“It’s pretty cool, but yeah, we’ve been bugging him a little bit,” said defenceman Brett Kulak, a fulltimer with the Flames this fall after spending chunks of the past two seasons with the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat. “I don’t think he liked how his beard was kind of red on the bobblehead. So that’s pretty funny.”
Indeed, a closer inspection of Saturday’s giveaway shows more than a few specks of ginger in Jankowski’s stubble, but fans in California — the Flames’ top affiliate is based about 120 km east of San Francisco — likely won’t get another opportunity to compare to the real deal.
The Flames’ first- round selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, Jankowski is done riding buses at the minor-league level. His buddies are shooting for the same.
The Flames’ two- games- intwo- nights whirlwind through Toronto and Montreal was a prime example of the immediate impact of their recent recalls from Stockton.
With about 40 loved ones in attendance, Jankowski was arguably the best forward for the outof-town squad in Wednesday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the host Toronto Maple Leafs. He was rewarded with a pair of shifts in overtime and almost ended it when he muscled his way to the net but couldn’t bury a backhander.
It’s not YouTube material, but Hathaway provided the third-period tying tally — with an assist to video coach Jamie Pringle, who insisted on a challenge after it was initially waved off — in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime triumph against the host Montreal Canadiens.
After racking up five hits and that same number of shots on net, the 26-year-old right-winger was sporting the Calgary Police Service cowboy hat, the players’ choice top-performer award.
Between the pipes, David Rittich continued to capitalize on his opportunity to prove he’s capable of big-league backup duties, outduelling Habs puck-stopping star Carey Price in a 35-save showing. Not bad for a 25-year-old rookie with two NHL starts on his resume.
Kulak, meanwhile, has solidified his status as an everyday regular on the Flames back-end. The 23-year-old has been healthyscratched only once in the past 18 contests. He is barely talked about, usually a very good sign for a sixth defenceman.
“In Stockton, they’re always stressing how you’re only one call away,” said Kulak, now with a grand total of 50 games of majorleague know-how. “Sometimes, it feels like you’re a long ways away, but you’re really so close to the NHL. And I think every player down there recognizes that, so everyone is competing so hard and working so hard.”
Heading into Saturday’s clash against the visiting Vancouver Canucks (8 p.m., CBC/Sportsnet 960 The Fan), that’s exactly what the latest arrivals are accomplishing.
Back in Stockton, the rest of the wannabes are tracking their progress.
“Anytime you see somebody get called up, you think, ‘Just keep working at it. That could be you one day.’ You’re hoping,” said Jankowski, who was named an AHL all-star last winter. “That just burns the fire a little more. You want that to be you. And you know that if you keep working at it, it can be you.”
Now, Jankowski is the proof. Every farmhand in Stockton is working to eventually join him at the Saddledome.
A bobblehead would be a bonus. “You can use Janko as an example — he’s an NHL player, and when you practise with a guy like that every day, you’re such good friends that you hope he doesn’t come back,” Hathaway said.
“You hope for success for the guys because that group is so close, but they’re also so competitive, too.
“We have friends down there that are encouraging us, but they know there’s opportunity. And a lot of those guys will play in the NHL.”