“I had a lot of pucks in Florida…” – Huberdeau

Jonathan Huberdeau is having his first real NHL winter. The bitter cold of Alberta contrasted perfectly with the tropical climate of Florida, where he played the first ten seasons of his career.

To add to the irony, his stats are light years ahead of last year, when he was the league’s fourth leading scorer and first in assists.

• Also read: Jacob Pelletier is still waiting his turn

Jeromean doesn’t hide it. He’s still adjusting to his new environment, having moved from panthers to flames over the summer. He still collected 31 points in 43 games.

“You see, it’s hard,” Huberdeau admitted with a little self-mocking on TVA Sports’ Jean-Charles Lajoie show, Thursday. We’re not used to the cold and it shows.

“It’s an apprenticeship. It’s definitely not the start to the season I would have hoped for with the Flames. The team is close (to a place in the playoffs) and that’s the important thing.

Demanding coach

Under Daryl Sutter, the philosophy was different. By the way, his coach tells him to throw a lot. So he must adapt to the formula with new trio buddies.

“I had a lot more pucks in Florida than Calgary. It’s hard to put on a show when you have less chance. It was even more difficult. In our style of play, it’s often one-goal games where you have to be better defensively.

“I work hard. I hope he comes soon.”

Plus, another Quebec in the Flames’ camp is eagerly awaiting his chance. Called out by the organization in recent weeks, Jacob Pelletier has yet to play his first game in the NHL.

“He’s in a hurry. We know that with Daryl, you don’t get a lot of chances when you’re young. I’ve been with him the whole (last) trip and talked to him. I told him to keep working hard in training and he’ll get his chance soon.

Watch the interview with Jonathan Huberdeau in the video above.