With newly acquired assistant coach Ryan Huska, let’s see what kind of qualities and insights he can bring to the Calgary Flames.
Unlike Bill Peters and Geoff Ward who have just switched teams but kept their same positions, Ryan Huska basically got a promotion. As the head coach for the Calgary Flames‘ AHL affiliate last season, the Stockton Heat, he’ll now be working for the big guys. He’s basically been working his way up since 2002.
Starting as an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, he got promoted to head coach after six seasons. He remained as their head coach for seven seasons, where they made the playoffs every year and won the WHL championship in his second season. In 2014, he was again promoted and went pro by becoming the head coach for the Adirondack Flames (now the Stockton Heat) in 2014.
Huska will be working primarily on the penalty-kill and working with the Flames’ defence. The Flames had a good penalty-kill this past season and will most likely be using the same guys Paul Jerrard was utilizing this past season. Working with the defence could be a challenge, though.
Related Story: Why is the Flames defense corps not defending?
The Calgary Flames were supposed to have one of the best top-four defence corps in the league this past season. But it seemed like it was just Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton carrying the blue-line. However, Brett Kulak upgraded this season as well and became an NHL regular. And he did quite well. We know that GM Brad Treliving may be looking to make a trade, but what that trade will entail, we’re not sure. If it’s a defenceman, then we could also see Rasmus Andersson become an NHL regular this season.
Via Calgary Flames:
"“Husk was going to get an opportunity with somebody this summer,” says Peters. “I think that was pretty obvious. Popular guy. A guy I’ve known from his days in the Western Hockey League. I’ve coached against him there, ton of respect for his development of defencemen.“It’s a Who’s Who of D-men that have come through Kelowna for a long time. So he’ll help develop our defencemen here and obviously provides a pipeline of information for the guys in Stockton close to making our team. And I believe we have a lot of guys who are going to push.”"
There were other players of course who also got a promotion. Mark Jankowski, who became a regular in November, and David Rittich when Eddie Lack‘s duties were no longer needed. We saw a couple players come up and make a good impression, like Spencer Foo and Andrew Mangiapane. It’ll be good for these guys to have a familiar face with Huska.
Via Calgary Flames:
"“That’s been one of the coolest parts of coaching down here for me: Seeing those guys get their opportunities up top, being told for the first time they’re being called up,” says Huska. “For me, those were some of the best days down here – getting the chance to maybe watch that first game live and see that first shift. Those are really neat moments for us because in the American you spend a lot of time with these young guys.“You’re genuinely excited for them. You’re proud.“You’ve had a chance to see their growth and development.“Now, I have the opportunity to help them take another step, help them maybe become a little bit more than they were before or are now.”"
We could potentially see Foo become an NHL regular this season, and while this isn’t necessarily Huska’s job description, he knows his strengths. Along with if Andersson becomes a regular, Huska has worked with him for a couple years now and also knows best about him and Kulak.
Next: What Geoff Ward can bring to the Flames
While assistant coaches don’t always have the biggest impact on the team, it’s still nice having a guy who was already within the organization and who knows these young guys the best.