Treliving spells out AHL philosophy

Flames GM Brad Treliving delves into the organization's AHL shift to Glens Falls via The Calgary Herald, which also leads into a discussion on his approach to development as it relates to the farm team.

“Specifically, looking at our situation where we’re going and building and growing,” Treliving said. “The No. 1 objective for your American Hockey League team is to develop your players. I think winning and having success plays a key role in that. You want your people in positive, successful environments. But we put development ahead of everything. You have to earn your way along. But my philosophy in the American League is you have to put your young players down there and have them in key roles and you have to give them opportunities to have success. A lot of times, they’re going to stub their toe early.”

And, most times, young players underestimate the expectations at the AHL level.

“They all think, ‘I’ll do a flyby in the American League,’ ” Treliving said. “ ‘A cup of coffee. Put in a little bit of time.’ It’s a hard league. There are a lot of veteran players that have wives and kids and that’s how they feed their family. It’s a huge step for any first-year player. Finding a way to be a good player in that league is really hard and it’s a great development landscape for them.

“But we want our kids going down there and play key roles … that’s how you get better.”

Source: Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald