Matt Coronato’s NHL potential is finally being tested and discovered this season. He is currently in the midst of his first full season in the NHL and so far has lived up to expectations. He sits fourth in team scoring with 32 points in 56 games and has more than proven himself as an NHLer. Despite his strong play, he often gets overshadowed by fellow youngsters like Dustin Wolf and Connor Zary. Often it seems Coronato gets forgotten as another young player with serious potential.
What do the fans think about Matt Coronato’s NHL potential?
I was curious what the expectations were like for Matthew Coronato as an NHL player so I ran a poll.
For a potential article, what do you think Matthew Coronato’s potential is? #flames
— Simon Szyszkowski (@SimonSzy04) February 26, 2025
It would seem most fans view him as a future 25–30 goal scorer. Not surprising considering through only 56 games this season he already has 16 goals—on pace for 24 by year’s end. What is more interesting is that only 14% of fans who took part in the poll believe that he could still have elite potential.
While being a consistent 25–30 goal scorer would certainly make him no slouch, he’s already almost one. As mentioned, he is already on pace for 24 goals in his first full NHL season. It shouldn’t be out of the question that with a bit more experience he can add six more goals. While he could always plateau, it seems odd to think that he would hit that point at just 23.
A comparison between Matt Coronato and Jake Guentzel
Matthew Coronato is not the first strong prospect to come out of NCAA Division I hockey. If we were to dream big, there are a few reasons his career so far can be compared to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel.
Similar to Coronato, he was drafted out of the USHL. He decided to go play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his three years playing in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), he would put up 119 points in 109 games. He would than split his first full year playing professional hockey between the NHL and AHL. In his first full season, he would put up 48 points in 82 games.
Coronato has followed an almost identical path to the NHL all the way down to how his first full season has gone. Assuming he plays all 82 games, he is currently on pace to end the year with 48 points—the same amount as Guentzel. If he continues to live up to that comparison, the Flames may have a future star sniper on their hands. At worst, if the floor is 24 goals, the Flames certainly wouldn’t be in a bad spot either.
The future is bright for Matt Coronato
No matter where you land on Matthew Coronato’s NHL potential. It is hard to deny that he has more than proven himself as a future mainstay on the Calgary Flames. Where he ends up carving himself into the roster permanently is still yet to be seen but he has already shown flashes of a being a talented scorer. If he can find a way to get to that level consistently, the Bison may become a formidable star in the Pacific division for many years to come.
