Flames’ Oliver Kylington Begins AHL Conditioning Stint in Return From Mental Health-Related Absence
Calgary Flames defenceman Oliver Kylington took a positive step forward on his road to return on Thursday amidst nearly a two-year absence from the NHL.
The 26-year-old blueliner returned to the ice as he began a conditioning stint with the Calgary Wranglers, the organization’s AHL affiliate. He hasn’t played this season and missed all of 2022-23 for personal reasons.
Kylington last played during Calgary’s second-round playoff matchup versus the Edmonton Oilers – which saw the franchise eliminated in five games – in May 2022. He has spent the last season-and-a-half addressing his mental health.
The second-round selection from 2015 joined several of his teammates for a light skating session on December 1st and has since skated regularly with the team’s injured players. If things run smoothly, he could return to the big-league club later this month.
“I feel I’m in a good place with my mental health and ready to take another step forward,” Kylington said in a statement Thursday.
“Returning to Calgary has been the right decision. I’ve felt tremendous commitment from Flames ownership, management, and my teammates, and I am appreciative of the support and resources made available to me. I also thank my family, friends, and the fans for their encouragement. I’m looking forward to getting on the ice in a team environment and back to my everyday life. I have missed it very much.”
After missing all last season, Kylington reported to the Flames training camp in September. However, following medical and fitness testing, the team announced he wouldn’t be ready for opening night and placed him on long-term IR.
Players on LTIR can spend up to six days or three games on an AHL conditioning assignment before that skater is required to count against a team’s salary cap again. Clubs are permitted to request an extension of two additional games to the Commissioner’s office.
In most instances, those requests, once reviewed by the league, feature a high success rate of being granted.
“First and foremost, as an organization, we care about Oliver as a person,” Flames GM Craig Conroy said in a separate statement.
“We are so happy that he has made positive progression with his mental well-being, and we will continue to support Oliver through this process. Based on his feedback, and that of health professionals, we have developed a return-to-play plan for Oliver. This conditioning assignment to the Wranglers for full practice integration is the next step in that process. Oliver will continue with his treatment, and we will monitor as he moves forward.”
Kylington made his NHL debut in his first professional season in 2015-16, registering one shot on goal and one blocked shot across 17:22 minutes. He logged 38 games with the Flames the following campaign, notching three goals and eight points while averaging 12:25 per night.
Over five NHL seasons, the left-handed defenceman has scored 14 goals and 47 points in 168 career games, posting 156 blocks and 90 hits. He possesses 12 games of playoff experience, all coming during the 2022 postseason, where he potted one goal and three points.
The Flames organization has worked jointly with Kylington while crafting his return-to-play program, with the ultimate goal of his highly-anticipated return occurring at some point in 2023-24.
“It’s a huge step for him and us,” head coach Ryan Huska said on Kylington’s conditioning stint. “He’s done a really good job of working on himself and our organization has done a great job of providing him with all the tools necessary to try and help him get back.”
“So, this is the next step for him. He’s going to get an opportunity to get into some team practices. We’re fully expecting that’s going to go well for him. That’s our hope and belief and then we’ll continue to progress as we move along. This is a positive step for him, for sure.”
The Stockholm, Sweden, native is in the final season of a two-year, $5-million contract signed in August 2022. It carries a $2.5 million cap hit this season and will see him become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Calgary has proven inconsistent thus far as the schedule nears the midway point, with the club holding a 17-16-5 record for 39 points. And yet, they sit just two points behind the second wild-card seed, held by the Seattle Kraken.
But with four teams positioned ahead, including the Kraken, the Flames will likely have to consider selling off assets as the March 8th trade deadline approaches.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Resolute. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.