Jakob Pelletier started off the year in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers where he showed flashes of skill and put up 36 points in 33 games. This performance made Pelletier receive a call up to the NHL to play for the Calgary Flames. He started on the fourth line, but he continued to impress and was given an opportunity to play in the Flames’ top-six with Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. Pelletier has been a great fit on the second line and has brought some speed to the lineup that this team so desperately needs.
Pelletier’s stats through 10 games
His stat line of two points in 10 games isn’t that impressive, but when you take a deeper look, you can see how much of impact Pelletier has been making. All stats shown below are 5v5, score- and venue-adjusted from NaturalStatTrick.com.
Game 1 – vs TBL
Pelletier started off his NHL career on a line with Walker Duehr and Trevor Lewis. He didn’t receive much ice time as in total he was given just under seven minutes with 6:49. Pelletier earned some looks on the power play where he seemed to fit in. Overall, throughout this whole game Pelletier looked and performed like a regular NHLer, even in the little ice time he received.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78.68 | 89.86 | 66.27 | 100.00 |
Game 2 – vs CBJ
Pelletier’s first and second game’s were very similar. Still on the fourth line, but still showing that he should be a regular NHLer. He was given a bit more ice time this game with 7:36. The biggest difference between this game and his first game was that Pelletier got to experience the fans in the Saddledome boo former Flame, Johnny Gaudreau, each time Gaudreau touched the puck.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76.21 | 77.04 | 77.55 | 65.41 |
Game 3 – vs CHI
This was a big game for Pelletier as Darryl Sutter decided he wanted to switch things up half way through game, and put Pelletier on the second line. His ice time doubled as he was out for 15:21. While he still hadn’t scored his first point yet, Pelletier was one the better Flames in this ugly 5–1 loss to the bottom-feeding Chicago Blackhawks.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68.57 | 64.01 | 75.00 | 61.54 |
Game 4 – @ SEA
Sutter must’ve liked what he saw from Pelletier in the prior game because Pelletier started and stuck on the second line. His ice time did take a bit of a hit dropping to 13:54. Keeping that second line together was a good idea as that line posted the best underlying numbers in a strong bounce back victory over the Seattle Kraken.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64.83 | 80.12 | 80.78 | 82.20 |
Game 5 – @ NYR
This game in particular has been considered by many to be one of, if not the best NHL game of the season, but ironically it was Pelletier’s worse so far. In his 14:40 of ice time, Pelletier had some awful underlying numbers, and wasn’t that noticeable. That’s not to say it was completely his fault as his linemates were just as bad or even worse.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38.11 | 14.82 | 21.30 | 0.00 |
Game 6 – @ DET
While last game was jampacked with exciting hockey, this game was as snooze fest. With how he performed last game, you might think Pelletier was taken off the second line or his ice time was reduced, but that wasn’t the case. Pelletier still found himself on the second line and had actually be given more ice time than last game with 16:57. He didn’t do anything to crazy this game but was overall still solid.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55.55 | 59.16 | 68.23 | 51.76 |
Game 7 – @ BUF
Game 7 was lucky number 7 for Pelletier as he received a nice pass from Nazem Kadri and put the puck behind Sabres goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Lehkonen for his first NHL goal. In a game that he kick started a comeback and the Flames went on to win 7–2, Pelletier definitely had his best NHL performance yet.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 69.05 | 94.08 | 68.99 | 66.63 |
Game 8 – @ OTT
Game 8 was pretty much a nothing game for Pelletier. He didn’t put up any points, had meh metrics, and the Flames blew a 3–1 lead in under a minute and then lost the game to the Senators in overtime.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71.34 | 40.80 | 62.86 | 44.82 |
Game 9 – vs DET
Pelletier saw a rise in ice time this game as in the last two he average around 14 minutes and in this game he played just over 16 minutes with 16:08. The gift of more ice time was deserved as in a disappointing 5–2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings, Pelletier’s line was the best, even if they didn’t produce. This was one of Pelletier’s best showings looking at his underlying numbers.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79.44 | 79.94 | 85.52 | 100.00 |
Game 10 – vs NYR
In Game 10, Pelletier finally made his way on to scoresheet again as he got his first NHL assist on Nazem Kadri’s early goal. Pelletier still saw just above 16 minutes of ice time, but unlike when he got his first goal, this wasn’t one of his better performances.
| CF% | xG% | SCF% | HDCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51.69 | 40.50 | 46.21 | 33.84 |
Pelletier is like a breath of fresh air
Jakob Pelletier has been a great addition to the Calgary Flames since being called up. He has brought much needed speed and a strong transition game to the Flames’ top-six. Pelletier is versatile and doesn’t struggle too much in new situations. It has been great seeing that Pelletier seems to always been in the right position. Although there hasn’t been much production yet, it will come with time. Hopefully, he doesn’t hit a roadblock and continues to play great and be a bright spot for the Flames.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
