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He has played 124 games at the AHL level and 159 in the NHL and is better for everything he went through — both good and bad.

“It was tough, but I learned a lot,” he said of his AHL experience. “There’s a lot more responsibility you have to take on down there — and you have to — and Jake is getting a lot of ice time and even power-play time. That’s big for him. That’s what is going to make you a better player.

“He has to learn every single day and Travis (Green) is a great teacher and really helped me out a lot. He helped me clear my mind about being in Utica and not focusing on when I was going to get called up. Your head has to be with Utica at the time when you’re there.

“There are so many distractions for players and Jake is a really popular guy in Vancouver. He just needs to take a breather and focus on getting better. He’s a unbelievable player and has so many tools, he just needs to regain his confidence and the ability to make plays.

“There were times where I was playing in the AHL and didn’t know why, but you have to grind away.”

Trust was a factor for Baertschi in Calgary and it didn’t help that Brian Burke’s first salvo after being named president of hockey operations in 2013 was aimed at the winger on the eve of the 2013-14 season.

“I see this as a guy who’s focusing on one area (offence) and even then, sporadically,” said Burke. “So, I don’t know what we have.”

What Baertschi had with the Flames was a disconnect. Whether not having the trust of management and being bypassed by other prospects, his days were numbered. He was dealt and his road to the NHL would only lengthen.

“It took me three years but I was ready,” he stressed. “This feels unreal because I was more prepared for every scenario in the NHL.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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