Jake Middleton's Road to Calgary Ran Through a Dish Pit

Jake Middleton reported to his new team in Calgary on a 2008 Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones, with his 70-year-old father Steve riding alongside him.

The two-day, 1,600-kilometre trip from Minneapolis took them through Swift Current before they rolled into the Scotiabank Saddledome parking lot. Middleton then spent his first two weeks in Calgary living out of one overnight bag because a FedEx delay held up the rest of his belongings.

"Everything I shipped hasn't shown up yet," Middleton told Sportsnet. "I've done quite a few loads of laundry and worn the same clothes since September 1st."

The Flames acquired the 30-year-old defenseman and three draft picks from the Minnesota Wild on July 2 in the trade that sent Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta to Minnesota.

Middleton was born in Wainwright, Alberta, where his parents ran the Honeypot Eatery & Pub. His family moved to Stratford, Ontario, when he was eight. He washed dishes in high school and spent summers laying bricks, mending fences and cutting grass on a hobby farm.

That background fits a career built through long odds. Middleton skipped the 2014 NHL Draft in Philadelphia because he was unsure whether he would be selected. The Los Angeles Kings took him with the final pick, 210th overall, but did not sign him.

"There was some embarrassment behind it, a little bit of 'eff-you' going forward, and it took a lot of work," Middleton said. "But we're here."

Middleton played for the ECHL's Manchester Monarchs and AHL's San Jose Barracuda before establishing himself with the San Jose Sharks and later the Wild. The former Ottawa 67's captain said he learned about leadership from veteran teammates including Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Brent Burns, Jared Spurgeon and Marcus Foligno.

Now he is settling in Calgary with his wife and young daughter, Stevie, returning to the province where he was born.