Flames’ Andrew Mangiapane Headed to the World Championships

Now, those kinds of numbers may not sound terrible to general hockey fans or those who don’t follow the Flames. However, Mangiapane has a bit higher expectations; he recorded a career-high 35 goals and 55 points in the 2021-22 season as a pending unrestricted free agent and was promptly given a three-year, $17.4 million contract. Thus he is being paid to be a 30-plus goalscorer and hasn’t done so since his signing. Some rumors are already beginning to swirl around the concept of trading Mangiapane in the offseason. With said contract expiring after the 2024-25 season, Mangiapane will want to get back to his old ways quickly to maximize his own value.

Team Canada Brings Out the Best

As mentioned previously, Mangiapane has donned the maple leaf on international ice before. His only appearance so far came when he joined the team for the 2021 IIHF World Championships held in Riga, Latvia. Some of the best hockey of his young career was played in that setting. Mangiapane joined the team late; Canada had already played and lost three round-robin contests by the time of his arrival. After he hit the ice with them, the team went 6-0-1 for the remainder of the tournament en route to a first-place finish. It was Canada’s first gold medal at the tournament since the 2016 rendition.

Mangiapane was otherworldly for the red and white, scoring seven goals and four assists in seven games. He tied for the tournament lead in goals. Only teammate Connor Brown and American forward Conor Garland had more than his 11 points, but they both played in all 10 matches. For his efforts, Mangiapane was named a tournament All-Star as well as Most Valuable Player. He seemed to kick his play into another gear as soon as he put on the jersey. This year, he will be one of the veterans of the team but likely won’t be tasked with carrying the same offensive load due to the abundance of young firepower available. Mangiapane can instead provide some leadership and secondary scoring, much like he does on the Flames.

Hopefully, we will see Mangiapane exhibit shades of his 2021 self at this year’s World Championships. It would be an amazing sign and bring about some hope for Flames fans. His last two seasons haven’t lived up to his contract and have initiated trade rumours. If he can have a solid showing on the international stage, perhaps he can carry it with him into the 2024-25 season in Cowtown.