[sureLoss]

http://poststar.com/sports/hockey/fl...3682363b8.html

They were right as evidenced by Poirier’s 31 points in 44 games, all-star selection and now call up. Calgary general manager Brad Treliving and assistant GMs Brad Pascall and Craig Conroy have all been on hand to see the AHL Flames play and Hartley and Huska talk once a week about each prospect.

All of the parties involved in judging the Flames prospects have been happy with his “progression” — a key word three of them used. He was a strong player offensively already, with 87 points last year, but needed to work on his defensive game.

“He’s learning to play the full game,” Hartley said. “That’s kind of a normal process for a 20-year-old kid coming out of juniors. You haven’t spent much time backchecking or paying attention on the defensive side of the puck. Sometimes defensive details are forgotten. He’s really applied himself to learning the details.”

Maybe Poirier doesn’t need to put pressure on himself. Huska thinks he can hit the same kind of numbers he hit in juniors. He said there’s a “feeling-out process” in any player’s first season.

“Emile’s done a good job of putting up points for someone who’s 20 years old,” Huska said. “If he’s down here for another year, parts of another year, I foresee him getting closer toward that point total. He’s that type of player. The more offensive guys he’s able to play with, the more confidence he gets and the more mature he becomes, I see that happening for him.”