Calgary Flames: We Need to Talk About Andrew Mangiapane
Do you know who Andrew Mangiapane is? Well at this point, you should. In and out of the Calgary Flames organization, Mangiapane is a player that is taking off. Not only is he is tied for team goal-scoring, but earlier this week he was only within a goal of Alexander Ovechkin for league-leading scoring. A pretty good pace to be on. He sits tied with his teammate, Elias Lindholm and Connor McDavid with seven goals each. Pretty good company to keep to start off the 2021-22 season. But what brought Mangiapane to the level he is playing at now?
The Road to the Flames
Andrew was drafted back in 2015 by the Flames in the sixth round, 166th overall. He took some time to develop with the OHL’s Barrie Colts prior to being drafted and once he was picked up by the Flames organization, he played a full season for the Stockton Heat where he earned 41 points in 66 games.
In the 2017-18 season, Andrew Mangiapane got his first NHL start with the Flames. He did his pre-game rookie lap on January 31, 2017, against the Chicago Blackhawks. He played in nine other games in that season but did not register any NHL points.
In the season following, he earned his first NHL goal that would be the start of many. This came on February 9, 2019, against the Vancouver Canucks and it was a beauty.
He ended up earning 13 points in 44 games with the Flames in 2018-19 and spent a bit of time with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, where he played in 15 games and earned 17 points.
Full-Time Talent
The 2019-20 season was the year of the breadman. Mangiapane officially turned into a full-time Flame and his days in the AHL had come to a close. He started on the fourth line for the Flames but has moved his way up and down the lineup as his teammate’s performance has varied. In his first full season, he earned 32 points (17G, 15A).
The following year was the modified Covid season, where the Flames played in the Canadian Division. Mangiapane further cemented his role with the Flames and matched his 2019-20 scoring with 32 points (18G, 14A) in 12 fewer games.
Canada’s Golden Boy
Pretty much the day last season ended, Mangiapane was flown out to Riga, Latvia to represent Canada in the IIHF World Championship. He quickly turned into Canada’s Golden boy quite literally by taking home the Gold Medal for Canada as well as the tournament MVP recognition.
He joined the tournament late due to Covid-19 quarantine protocol. He entered the lineup with Canada sitting at an 0-3 record. He made a huge impact in team production, scoring seven goals and earning four helpers. Imagine if he had those extra three games to work with? This helped the team win the next six of seven games and especially when it mattered in the final game of the tournament. Something tells me this is not the last time we will see Mangiapane with a Maple Leaf across his chest.
All-Star Potential
It is early, but Andrew Mangiapane is playing on pace for quite a solid season. Part of that could be finding his legs in this league, getting more opportunities up the lineup, or working towards a pay increase next season with his contract expiring. Or a combination of all three?
This season he has mostly been playing alongside Dillon Dube and Brett Ritchie. Dube and Mangiapane got a few games with Sean Monahan centering them but that has not been the case as of late. He has not even been playing top minutes and he is producing at a top forward pace.
Another interesting thing to chew on is the fact the Flames are still captainless. While having a veteran captain in Mark Giordano for the longest time to follow-up is not the easiest job, Mangiapane might be in the conversation when the Flames are ready to make that decision. He still feels a little junior as far as the makeup of the Flames roster goes, but he could be placed as an alternate captain if one of the current ones gets a promotion to Captain. If he doesn’t earn a leadership role this time around, it might just be a matter of time in the future.
He is not a stranger to having a letter on his jersey. In his last season with the Barrie Colts, he was an alternate captain, and even in the Flames preseason this year, an A was stitched on his jersey when the other usual alternates had the night off. He might not be the first in line or even the top three in line, but he is on the list somewhere. It’s just a matter of when that time is best for the team.
Thankfully with this season returning to the full 82 games, there will be many Mangiapane goals and highlights to look out for. If you’re watching the Flames, keep your eyes peeled on 88.