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“But I believe wherever I’m at next year, it’ll be the best for my development.”

Outside of a WHL title, there’s not much left for Phillips to accomplish at the junior level.

Phillips, who turned 20 on April 6, finished fifth in league scoring with 48 goals and 64 assists in 71 games, giving him 112 points in 2017-18. He added another six goals and 13 assists in 11 post-season contests.

It’s a solid jump from last season, which saw him net 50 goals and 40 assists in 70 games — a 90-point season as an 18-year-old — and an even larger leap from 2015-16 when he scored 37 goals and 76 points in 72 games.

So, in theory, there’s nothing standing in his way of convincing the rest of the Flames’ management that he deserves to be either with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Stockton or, at some point, in the Show.

“Everyone wants to play there, everyone wants to play in the NHL,” said Phillips who could, technically, still return to the WHL for his overage season. “That’s what you work for, so you have to have the belief that it’s possible. Definitely not in a cocky or arrogant way, but you want to believe in yourself and work towards that. I followed the team pretty closely and it’s definitely encouraging when you see guys like Mark (Jankowski) go up and when (Andrew) Mangiapane came up and played well and Foosy (Spencer Foo) at the end of the year.

“When you see those guys getting there and doing well, it’s encouraging.”

The Calgary native had a small taste of pro last spring when he joined the Heat for one regular season game and a pair of playoff contests.