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Whether he’s gazing out the window, stretching into the aisle or jostling for armrest space with a traveller on either side, Lazar is hoping he’ll soon be on a return flight to Calgary.

The 23-year-old forward made hockey history of sorts in October, becoming perhaps the first NHLer to essentially ask for a demotion to the minors.

Even with 245 nights of big-league experience, he figured after going unclaimed on waivers that a stint in Stockton was necessary to rebuild his game, to rebuild his confidence, to prove his ceiling was not limited to fourth-line dump-and-pumper.

For the past two months, far from the Saddledome spotlight in sunny California, he’s been doing exactly that.

“In our last game, I think I finished with 25 minutes. I mean, I haven’t come even close to that since probably junior,” said Lazar, a former standout for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and first-round selection of the Ottawa Senators in the 2013 NHL Draft. “You leave the rink after a game, win or lose, and you know you had an impact on the game. Penalty-kill, I’m usually the first one over to take a key faceoff. Power-play, I’m always the first one standing up at the bench because I want my unit to go. And then overtime, too, having the opportunity to finish the game on your stick.

“It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m really embracing it.”

Heading into Saturday’s home date with the state-rival Bakersfield Condors, the top affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, Lazar is sitting second on the Heat with nine tallies and 10 assists in 24 regular-season outings.