CANMORE – Calgary Flames signee Luke Philp wants to make things tough for his team.
With the NHL’s pre-season training camp quickly approaching, prospects such as the Canmore native are on a mission to make lasting impressions among the competitive field.
“I want to make things hard for them,” Philp said. “I want to make the decision hard to keep me around as long as possible and my goal is to make the team.”
"Being from around here, lots of my family and friends are Flames fans, grew up Flames fans, so they're pretty pumped for me."
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 4, 2019
Free agent signee @lukephilp is loving his first taste of Calgary's development camp. pic.twitter.com/GUvAIeNSjO
One way the 23-year-old centre thinks he’ll stand out in September is with first-hand knowledge gained over years of participating in training camps with teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers.
“I can take my experience from camps before,” Philp said. “This is as good as I ever felt and confident going into this one – more confidence I’ve had going into prior camps, for sure.”
Philp’s brief time with the Flames began this past March, which turned into a whirlwind month for him.
Playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears at the time, the star forward started off March by winning 2019 U-Sports hockey player of the year. What quickly followed was the U-Sport’s hockey national championship game between the Golden Bears and University of New Brunswick Reds.
Philp was forced to the leave game early though after suffering an ill-fated ankle injury midway through the first. The Golden Bears lost 4-2 without its star forward.
The blow was softened though only a few days after losing and suffering the injury, which gave Philp a big swollen ankle, when an NHL contract was put in his hands.
The standout was being scouted all season long and after X-rays came back negative, the Flames quickly signed Philp to a two-year entry-level contract, which begins in 2019-20.
Honoured to sign with the @NHLFlames , I would like to thank all my friends and family and everyone who made this possible. It has been a crazy few days finishing our season and then singing my first contract and I appreciate all the support. Excited to get things going!
— Luke philp (@lukephilp) March 20, 2019
This past July, Philp practiced at the Flames’ five-day development camp while still somewhat injured, but said the training went well overall. He has since been ramping up training intensity at the nearby Edge School.
“The injury is doing really well,” Philp said. “There’s certain things in the gym that kind of bother it a little bit, but for the most part I don’t notice at all.
“It’s tough to stand out at these camps, because they’re so short and there’s not too much ice time … Everyone’s working pretty hard and you’re teammates are just as intense, too.”
In a Flames press release following the development camp, it said Philp is expected to make his pro debut this season with the Flames’ top affiliate team, the AHL’s Stockton Heat.
Come mid-September, at the beginning of the Flames’ 40th season, Philp’s hoping experience and time put in the gym will give the management something to think about.
“Every camp is going to be different,” he said. “I think whenever you have experience going into camps, it gives you that confidence.”
