Forward Phillips called up from the AHL Wranglers
Matthew Phillips won't be the AHL'S leading scorer much longer.
Phillips finally received a call-up Thursday, the news a lot of Calgary Flames fans have been clamouring for.
“I feel like I've put a good foot forward,” Phillips said after a practice last week with the Calgary Wranglers. “I've built up my resume, and I think I've gotten better every season.”
The question now is what sort of opportunity awaits for the 24-year-old Phillips, who has logged just one NHL appearance so far.
There were no obvious injuries during Wednesday's 5-3 home victory over the Minnesota Wild, though the fourth-liners were mostly stapled to the bench. Since his squad has notched three straight wins, Darryl Sutter might be hesitant to shuffle any of his other combos to create a spot in the top nine. (The Flames are now carrying 14 forwards, but centre Kevin Rooney — scratched for seven of the past dozen games — was on waivers Thursday and could be reassigned to the farm club if he goes unclaimed.)
Sutter wasn't exactly bubbling with enthusiasm when asked last week about Phillips, who was named AHL player of the month for November. Many wondered if Phillips's size — he is listed at fivefoot-eight and 160 pounds — would prevent him from getting a glimpse with Sutter at the helm.
“The (AHL) team is doing really well,” Sutter said last Friday. “But there's a big difference between American League to the NHL, in terms of production.”
Phillips is a graduate of the Bow Valley minor hockey association and AAA Buffaloes program.
DAN THE MAN?
Calgary's go-to goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, has now had a full week to reset.
Thing is, Dan Vladar is making a convincing case to keep the crease.
In his longest string of starts at the NHL level, the 25-yearold Vladar has now won three straight games. As Sutter put it after Wednesday's triumph at the Saddledome: “Bet on the horse and rode him.”
Sutter may be tempted to bet on Vladar again as the Flames open a three-game roadie with Friday's clash against old friend Johnny Gaudreau and the Columbus Blue Jackets (5 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/sportsnet 960 The Fan).
“You can't be flying in the skies,” Vladar said after his 25-save performance Wednesday against the Wild. “You just have to stay humble because I don't think in two days that Columbus really cares what is our record or whatever. They just want to beat us, right?”