A new record has been set for the Stockton Heat. Just one night after Johnny Gaudreau made Calgary Flames history by scoring his 100th point of the 2021–22 NHL season, Flames 2019 first-round pick Jakob Pelletier followed suit making history of his own: He has officially broken the Stockton Heat’s all-time rookie scoring record.
In his 60th game of his rookie campaign (and Stockton’s 61st overall game), Pelletier earned his 57th point—a power play primary assist on Matthew Phillips‘ 29th goal of the season.
Stockton’s all-time rookie scoring leaders
Prior to Pelletier’s arrival in the AHL, Stockton’s rookie scoring leader was Mark Jankowski with 56 points in 64 games played—set back in 2016–17. Pelletier’s been climbing the rookie scoring ladder rather rapidly, and a little over a month ago, we broke down how Pelletier was already on pace to secure the rookie scoring record for himself after he passed Andrew Mangiapane for second all-time among Heat rookies.
Pelletier passed Spencer Foo and Dillon Dube when he scored his 40th point, and quickly passed Mangiapane when he scored his 42nd. After taking sole possession of second, his climb to become first had a much larger gap.
Point number 57 for Pelletier
Pelletier became second all-time after during a game against the San Diego Gulls on March 9, 2022 where he actually scored a hat trick. That game ended with him sitting at 44 points on the season. It took him 11 more games to close the gap on Jankowski and tie the former Flame, now Rochester American for first overall.
With 11 games remaining in Stockton’s schedule, it was a certainty that Pelletier would nab the record for himself and it was simply a matter of when, not if. Having gone three games without making it onto the scoresheet all while sitting at 56 points, the anticipation for Pelletier’s next point was unbearably palpable. And it finally happened.
In the Heat’s sixth matchup against the Henderson Silver Knights this season, the Heat found themselves down 2–0 midway through the second period. This wasn’t for a lack of trying though, the Heat were peppering Silver Knights goalie Jiri Patera (Vegas Golden Knights 2017 sixth-round pick), but were unable to solve him over the first 39 minutes of the game. It took until their 30th shot of the game—registered in the final minute of the second period—before they were able to draw back within one goal.
Of course, this game has little consequence for the Heat at the team level, having already secured their playoff spot. Dustin Wolf was even rested for the night as Adam Werner got the start. However, just as the Flames rooted for Gaudreau to hit 100 points with their own playoff berth essentially locked in, everyone on the Heat had their eyes on Pelletier and his points total.
A picture-perfect power play passing sequence saw the puck make its way to Pelletier, who quickly sent it towards the net to Phillips for an easy goal. Here’s the video replay of Phillips’ power play marker:
The Heat went down 3–1 in the third period before coming back to win 4–3 in overtime. However, Pelletier didn’t factor into the Heat’s three unanswered goals, so he finished the night with the single point.
Closing out the AHL season
Pelletier will have seven more games to extend his newly established Heat record. We’ll see if he’s able to pass the 60-point mark—a rare feat few AHL rookies actually reach. Among all rookies this season, he currently sits second in the league, only behind Buffalo Sabres 2020 second-round pick JJ Peterka. Peterka has 62 points in 63 games played so far, who largely extended his rookie scoring lead thanks to a recent four-point game.
Pelletier’s 57 points is also good for a tie for 13th overall in the entire AHL. It’s been an incredible transition from the QMJHL to the AHL for Pelletier to say the least.
Pelletier isn’t far behind Peterka at all and can feasibly challenge for the rookie scoring lead before the season is up, and can also see his overall league ranking rise as well, with a chance to break into the top 10 in the whole AHL.
We’ll see in due time where Pelletier ends up, but he’s already exceeded expectations—accomplishing everything he could have and then some. All the best to him and the Heat as they prepare for their quest for the Calder Cup.
Without a doubt, Pelletier’s one of the Flames’ best prospects, and he backs that claim up on the ice and on the scoresheet.
