Castagna earns first NHL point in Flames debut against Avalanche
The rookie centre assisted on Adam Klapka’s goal and played 9:09 in Calgary’s 7-3 loss.
What's newCastagna recorded his first NHL assist and played 9:09 in Calgary’s 7-3 loss to Colorado.
Jonathan Castagna recorded his first NHL point in his Calgary Flames debut Thursday, setting up Adam Klapka's goal in a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Scotiabank Saddledome.
The centre earned the primary assist in the first period and finished with three hits, a 50 per cent face-off win rate and 9:09 of ice time, according to the Flames' postgame report and the NHL boxscore.
Coach Ryan Huska praised Castagna's effort and the wall battle that helped create Klapka's goal, Sportsnet reported. Castagna also accepted responsibility for jumping onto the ice too early during a first-period line change that led to a too-many-men penalty.
His parents and girlfriend travelled from Toronto to see the debut. During a first-intermission interview, Castagna saw footage of his mother's reaction to his rookie lap and spoke about how much sharing the occasion with his family meant to him, according to Sportsnet.
Castagna received a souvenir puck for his first assist. He also has a nickname among his new teammates: George, a reference to Seinfeld's George Costanza. Huska said the rookie had never watched the show.
Calgary had recalled Castagna from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers earlier in the week. He practised alongside Aydar Suniev and Klapka before getting his first NHL opportunity.
