Flames prospect Philp used to defying the odds
Expect the speedy winger to be ready when the call from Calgary finally comes
Of course Luke Philp was hoping for the call.
With the National Hockey League’s Phase 3 just around the corner, and the Calgary Flames opening their return-to-play training camp on Monday, the 24-yearold Canmore native and Flames prospect had been waiting for the opportunity to join in on the action as part of the team’s reserve squad.
The call never came. However, Philp is not letting it deter his professional hockey dreams. After all, the former University of Alberta Golden Bear has been defying all odds his entire career.
“It was a little disappointing,” said Philp, calling from his off-season post in Kelowna, B.C., where he has been training. “Ultimately, it’s not my decision to make. It’s not something I can control right now. But I did feel like I had a good year, so I definitely can’t be disappointed about it.
“It’s not the first time I have been told I haven’t made something or haven’t been a part of something. You can’t really let it be the be-all, end-all.”
It’s this kind of positive attitude that has seen him transition from the Alberta Junior Hockey League to the Western Hockey League to three years of U Sports hockey — while studying business economics and business law — all the way to his first professional contract last summer with the Flames.
His path is unique, not unlike Flames forward and U of A alumnus Derek Ryan, who didn’t log his first NHL game until age 29.
And there’s no need for Philp to get down on himself. He has only 52 AHL games under his belt, logged in his first campaign with the Stockton Heat which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I kind of had to take a longer route to pro hockey and you look at someone like Derek Ryan,” Philp said. “He did, as well. I can definitely look up to him and see what he’s done and what he’s been doing.
“It was a little discouraging to be told right now that you’re not going to be part of Phase 3 or 4 or whatever. You’re always told that could change, though. You could still be expected to join them if something happens. But, for me, I’m not going to let it discourage me, either.”
This spring’s abrupt ending to the AHL season was the second time in as many years that Philp has seen a premature end to his year. Ten minutes into the 2019 U Sports University Cup, the speedy forward suffered a high-ankle sprain but had impressed enough to ink a two-year contract with the Flames a few days later.
That meant a good summer of regaining strength and dipping his toe into the professional game.
“The transition was a little rough at first,” Philp said. “It was obviously upgraded hockey, the American League to the U Sports level I was playing for the past three seasons. Everything wasn’t smooth off the bat. I had to fight for ice time and earn more minutes as the season went on.”
It took the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder almost a dozen outings before he logged his first points, scoring two goals and an assist in his 11th AHL game against San Diego.
From there, he was off and running and finished the year with 19
goals and 12 assists in 52 games. Philp’s tallies had him tied with Heat captain Bryon Froese for the team lead.
His main focus this off-season is increasing his foot speed, no doubt an asset as the pace continues to amp up year after year.
“You can see it at the NHL level, you can see it at the AHL level,” said Philp, who starred for the Canmore Eagles, Kootenay Ice and Red Deer Rebels as a junior player. “The game is trending to be faster and faster. When you compare it to U Sports, it was definitely an adjustment.
“But I think I like to play that style of game and it’s going to be up my alley moving forward.”
Along with off-season training, Philp has been chasing his degree at U of A. He was able to enrol in spring courses online during the main part of the lockdown — which he spent at his family home in Canmore — and is currently chipping away at some summer courses.
With the NHL’S return-to-play plan in place, that, of course, cancelled the Flames’ annual summer prospects camp, which normally would feature a guy like Philp.
And, for similar reasons, there has been very little insight on when the AHL will restart. Meaning that Philp’s plans — like many other hockey players — are up in the air.
“It’s different,” he said. “I was told to be ready for a potential training camp that you might be joining, or you might not, but to be ready. Things always change and there have been no set dates. But understandably so. They’re doing the best they can to save the NHL season. There are lot of things they have to do first, before they start things up again.”