The Flames forward Coronato can’t wait to get started on critical second pro season.

The season ahead is a big one for Matthew Coronato. A year ago, the forward came at Calgary Flames training camp eager to make an immediate impact in his first season as a pro and showcased the skill set that led to the team picking him 13th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Coronato made the Flames out of camp, but found himself bouncing between the NHL club and their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, for much of the season.

At 21 years old and with that experience under the belt, he seems prepared for a big season. And there’s every potential that will happen, but there’s going to be a competition for playing time on the wing for the Flames.

With the acquisition of Anthony Mantha in free agency and the Flames already employing Blake Coleman and Andrei Kuzmenko, the team’s got a decent pool of right-wingers. Coronato’s skill set isn’t especially well-suited to a fourth-line role, so what does he have to do to get in the mix?

Speaking during the annual Calgary Italian Open at the Cottonwood Golf & Country Club south of the city, Coronato came across as casual as ever when he was posed the topic.

“I think I just need to focus on being the best version of myself, playing with confidence and trusting what I can do,” Coronato said. “That’s really all I can do.”

In 34 games with the Flames last year, Coronato managed three goals and six assists while earning a minus-15.

His AHL numbers were far more remarkable, as he scored 15 goals and contributed 27 assists in 41 games with the Wranglers, while also being a plus-six.

All of that was, again, in his first season as a pro, but his performances in the AHL do beg the question about how much good more time in that league will truly do? Would he not be best-served playing day in and day out with the Flames?Coronato’s going to have to earn his opportunity, and he knows it.

The summer after a player’s first year as a pro is always an important one, as they may focus their off-season training on areas where they need to develop in order to adjust to the NHL game. For Coronato, skating was a significant part of that.

“Definitely, big focus for the summer,” Coronato remarked when asked about the work he’d done to improve his skating. “There’s still some time (before training camp), so definitely still continuing to do things here over the next couple weeks, but I feel good about it.

“I think workout-wise, I did things a little differently but nothing too crazy. But I felt good at the conclusion of last summer, as well. My aim all summer was to come into camp in the greatest possible shape I could and I feel comfortable about that.”

With camp only weeks away, Coronato is back in Calgary working and training with a select group of Flames teammates.

He knows it’s going to be a significant camp for him. A year ago, he scored seven points in six pre-season matches and while it didn’t transfer into a full season with the NHL team, a similar — or better — showing would undoubtedly make it hard to leave him out of the lineup when the regular season gets going.

“Going into my second year I feel a lot more comfortable having real relationships with guys and staff and just kind of knowing the way things go with a training camp,” Coronato said. “I feel good this time around, definitely, and I’ve got a couple more weeks to gear up and get ready for it.”